Thesis Question

Hey guys, trying to decide on a thesis question. If anyone has any advice on the couple I've come up with, please let me know. Or if anyone has a different one to offer, that would help lots too.

"To determine how feasible a net zero community in the terms of using renewable energy technology and the cost involved with using those technologies."

"To determine how feasible a net zero community is with the use of renewable energy and the costs/pay-off costs of implementing renewable energy technologies."

"Is a net zero community a feasible idea with the costs of implementing renewable energy technology vs the benefits of using renewable energy technologies."

Updated Planning Outline

Project:

My research is to determine how feasible a net zero community is. My goal is to apply this research to a new development being built called, “Copper Fields” located behind Grand Forks, BC. I plan on researching community wide ways of using renewable energy, the cost and pay-off cost involved with these technologies, the benefits and non-benefits, and discovering just how feasible it truly is.

Method:

• Gather information from several different types of sources on renewable energy technology currently available.
  
• Gather information on the surrounding land for the new community and determine which renewable energy technologies I can use.
  
• Research how much energy one Canadian home uses on average and apply those statics to the new development.
  
• Discover how much renewable energy the new development would have to create.
  
• Using appropriate renewable energy technology, research how costly it would be to meet the energy demand.
  
• Apply this knowledge and lay out a report which will cover which renewable technologies are usable for the site, how much energy will be required, the cost of meeting those demands, when (if ever) those technologies will pay themselves off, and the overall benefits and non-benefits of having the a net zero community.

Special Problems:

• Can the same techniques be used for different communities, or are communities too different and need to be studied on a case by case basis?
  
• How far is too far when it comes to creating a net zero community? Where do you draw the line between green design and practicality?
  
• Are there restrictions set out by the city which will restrict the available options?
  
• Are there any problems with the sustainability of the material? And are there any safety concerns that should be noted?

Also:

• Primary reader of this report will be one of our Teachers in the program.
  
• What funding options, if any, are available through government?
  
• What is the average person willing to pay for a house? More specifically are they willing to invest in a more expensive home to be more eco-friendly?

Orginal Graphic

Here is a graphic I did up using Autocad 2009 and Autodesk Impressions. It's a simple drawing, but it relates to the necessary changes required in us to change the way we use energy and create energy.