On 06 December 2024, Build4People team members provided multi-disciplinary insights into the potentials of using solar energy to support a sustainable urban transformation at the AmCam Exchange in Phnom Penh. The lecture got prepared and moderated by Prof Dr Tep Makathy, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia.
The comprehensive title of the lecture was “From consumers to prosumers: the transformative power of household renewable energy production – insights from the Build4People project”.
During the first session Dr. Michael Waibel, Leader of B4P Work Package “Sustainable Urban Transformation” gave an overall introduction about the rising global importance of renewable energies with a focus on Photovoltaic (PV) technologies. This was followed by discussing the potential of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), in general. During the concluding part of this session, a more detailed analysis was provided about so-called balcony power plants which will get further introduced as part of the Build4People Transformation Handbook currently under development. Balcony power plants enable households to become active producers of renewable household energy and are currently booming in Germany. Finally, their application potential to Cambodia was discussed with the audience.
During the second session, Rolf Messerschmidt, CEO of the Urban Design and Architecture Practice Eble Messerschmidt Partner and Leader of B4P Work Package “Sustainable Neigbhourhoods” explored the potential of urban neighbourhood solarisation to support sustainable development in Cambodia, guided by the Build4People Guideline for Sustainable Neighbourhood Development: Climate Protection and Energy Flows as part of the so-called Phnom Penh Capital Hall Transformation Toolbox currently under development. He highlighted practical strategies for integrating PV systems into urban areas to create energy-efficient communities. The session also explained how planning neighbourhoods with smart energy grids can enhance energy supply efficiency and increase the synergistic effect with other sustainable development aspects. Drawing on examples from Germany and Asia, he showed how PV systems can be attractively incorporated into building façades and rooftops, offering practical and visually appealing solutions for sustainable energy use in different settings. This input was jointly prepared by Rolf Messerschmidt and Nuria Roig, Urban Planner at the Urban Design and Architecture Practice Eble Messerschmidt Partner, Research Associate of the B4P WP “Sustainable Neigbhourhoods.
During the third session Andy Deuss, Junior Researcher at the Institute of Environmental Psychology of Magdeburg University and Research Associate of Build4People Work Package “Behaviour Change” presented about how to activate households as implementors of solarisation in Cambodia. He explained that by adopting residential photovoltaics (RPV), households can play an active role in Cambodia’s energy transition but showed that currently only a limited number of households have realized this potential yet. This is raising the question of what needs to be done for other households to follow their lead. Consequently he provided insights into the factors that motivate households to consider adopting RPV, based on the results of a recent Build4People study conducted in Phnom Penh. The aspects presented were then used to provide an outlook on how households can be supported in the future regarding RPV adoption, enabling them to become active stakeholders in Cambodia’s renewable energy pathway. This input was jointly prepared by Andy Deuss and Dr Anke Blöbaum, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Environmental Psychology of Magdeburg University, Leader of B4P WP “Behaviour Change”.
The three sessions were followed by a vidid discussion on how to strengthen the potential of solar energy in urban Cambodia, in general, and in particular how to convince households to adopt residential photovoltaics.
