Moving forward with building-scale alternative energy: Performance, price, and policy

In this work we asses building-scale alternative energy systems in terms of: energy and greenhouse gases saved; life cycle costs; and the government incentives which encourage their use. The assessment undertaken is with respect to four technologies: photovoltaic electricity generation; solar air and water heating and ground source heat pumps for space conditioning, and three audience types: homeowners, small businesses and large commercial/institutional entities. The goal is to determine how best to define municipal policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy demand using the alternative energy assessment as a case study. We show that ground source heat pump loans paid back to the municipality through land taxes can provide an annual revenue stream for the audiences and the municipality while satisfying the so-called triple bottom line of social, environmental, and economic objectives.