Our society's changing views on energy and environment are transforming the utility and construction sectors. The utility sector is currently undergoing a radical shift in operating practice that opens doors to a range of innovative energy projects using small-scale sources such as solar, wind, hydro, fuel cells, gas turbines and biomass to feed electricity, heat and air conditioning to our homes and businesses. The construction industry has adopted a host of new green building initiatives that are quickly increasing awareness and use of sustainable, integrated architecture and engineering practices for new buildings. Manufacturers have many new products that provide ways to implement advanced energy control in commercial and residential structures. Our challenge and opportunity is to learn how to integrate and use all of these modern sustainable energy technologies in a manner consistent with our urban environments.
