New Energy Hubs: Transit-Oriented Development Meets District Energy  

WorldChanging has a post on expanding the Transit Oriented Development concept - New Energy Hubs: Transit-Oriented Development Meets District Energy.

Advanced community design models are emerging to provide some of the greatest opportunities for reducing fossil fuel use, climate-disrupting emissions and traffic congestion, while also offering affordable, high-quality lifestyles.

Envision living in a community that offers an abundance of local shopping, services and entertainment. The community is focused on a mobility center well connected to the region with transit and vanpools. The need to drive to work and other destinations is minimized. When you do drive, it is in an electric vehicle charged at your house or a fast charge station located in the mobility center park-and-ride.

Coming from work you stop by a mobility center kiosk to pick up groceries and other items ordered on line. You come home to a super-efficient residence with a smart management system that has adjusted temperatures in anticipation of your arrival. Hot water that heats your home and comes out of your shower head is delivered from a local plant that uses both ground heat and biogas.

Electricity that powers your home and charges your vehicle is generated at the plant and a neighborhood solar array mounted at the park-and-ride. Power is delivered by a smart grid that manages local power generation and sends any surplus around the city. The smart grid also communicates with buildings and electric vehicles to optimize grid operations, saving ratepayers on power costs.

This is a vision for a New Energy Hubs, a comprehensive community development model that meshes transit-oriented developments (TODs) with emerging energy technologies. Deploying advanced transportation and energy concepts in one geographically defined location provides synergistic benefits, making for the most effective use of energy and resources.