Application of Wind Energy in Urban Regional Planning Toward Ecological Sustainability(Case Study: Hashtgerd)

Abstract

The remarkable development of sciences and technologies in the world of]o today has apparently brought mankind comfort and well-being, but it has also created new problems for humans including environmental pollution, widespread changes in world weather conditions, etc. Fossil fuels cause numerous environmental pollutions. In other words, on the one hand poisonous gases enter the environment following the burning of fossil fuels, make breathing difficult for people, and pollute the environment. On the other hand, accumulation of these gases in the atmosphere prevents heat from escaping the earth, leading to temperature increases and widespread weather changes on earth called the greenhouse effect. The best way to stop the increasing trend in the concentrations of these poisonous gases is to use clean energies such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydrogen energies instead of energy obtained from burning fossil fuels and thus to prevent environmental pollutions and the problems they caused. Since cities are the major consumers of energy, the need for utilizing clean energies (including wind energy) becomes more obvious because attention to the way energy is provided for cities, and the management of this energy, will influence the preservation of environmental health and the optimal use of energy resources of the earth. With this purpose in mind, optimizing energy consumption and utilization of new energies in cities will be taken into account from the very first in urban and regional planning. Through utilizing renewable energy in cities, we will achieve the above-mentioned goals, including reduced use of fossil energy and saving costs, and movement towards sustainable development and environmental health. In this project, the SWOT table of utilizing renewable energy was prepared for the region of Hashtgerd in order to analyze the available information and offer a strategy suitable for the subject of the research. Following that, a flowchart of studies and conditions required for utilization of this energy, with emphasis on ecological sustainability, was prepared to select suitable conditions for utilizing wind energy in cities. Important and effective indicators in these processes were then used to draw up tables for analyzing and estimating various conditions, amounts of generated electricity and reduction in emission. Moreover, using the KLIMM software, two regions around Hashtgerd were selected for establishing wind farms, taking the required areas for the farms and electricity consumption in Hashtgerd into consideration. Finally, a region south of Hashtgerd was judged the most suitable site with respect to location and other characteristics.