Solar Shingles as a Renewable Energy Solution

Solar, or photovoltaic shingles, is a reality rather than an innovative project. It started in 2005, then in 2009 the solar shingles were presented in Portugal by the Universities of Minho and Nova as a unique case to benefit from the solar energy through shingles. This new technology is a part of new constructions which attracts greatly the final consumer not only from the point of view of contribution for climate change but considering the possibility to create an independent commercial electrical grid through which to provide electricity to our houses.

Solar shingles are definitely different from solar panels. Designed to look like and function as conventional roofing materials, solar shingles are a type of solar energy solution known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) applied to the parts of the building envelope, such as the roof, skylights or facades. BIPV is expected to grow by almost 19% by 2019, according to Transparency Market Research experts.

One of the problems of first solar shingles was the aesthetics, but the recent improved designs offer the shingles that blend almost seamlessly with traditional roofing materials. The solar shingles, flexible and durable as regular shingles, integrate minipanels inside to transform solar radians into electrical energy. The solar cells (generally, 4 per shingle), made out of silicon mainly, are combined with slate, metal, fiber-cement and even ­asphalt roofing.

One shingle is too small to produce much power, it is able to generate on average 60 watts (although some technologies are able to reach 200 watts) which is little, but hundreds of them together provide enough electricity to power a whole house. With this photovoltaic installation on the area of 45m² it is possible to generate up to 3 kW. Another peculiar feature about solar shingles is that they can be installed over existing roof, that is, “direct-to-roof” installation. Then they must be connected and conducted to the home’s electrical system.

This independent additional power system can co-exist with the main grid which will work after sundown and on gloomy and rainy days. But this is a good alternative for energy saving that can be applied for all types of constructions: residential, industrial, commercial properties, government and civic buildings.

Sources:

Tejas solares fotovoltáicas.

Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 – 2019.

Shedding light on solar shingles.

Simulation based control for Energy Efficiency Building Operation and Maintenance presented at All-Energy Exhibition and Conference 2016

All-Energy is a free-to-attend conference and exhibition held in Glasgow annually. In its 16th year during a two-day programme held on 4^th and 5^th of May, it has firmly established itself as the UK’s leading renewable energy exhibition and conference including such activities as workshop, seminars, meetings, visits to demo site and internal meetings between project partners. Each edition, All-Energy brings together the latest technologies and thought leaders worldwide.

Attracting visitors from a variety sectors within the energy industry including onshore & offshore wind, bioenergy, wave & tidal, sustainable cities and energy efficiency, All-Energy gives exhibitors the opportunity to do business with key international experts and buyers in one location. All-Energy offers structured networking opportunities to help suppliers establish relationships and secure business on a global scale.

Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), a company highly involved in R&D activities through various projects and currently one of the partners of the project Energy in Time, made a presentation titled “Making real-time operational control of buildings a reality with 3D simulation.” Catherine Conaghan, Senior Project Manager of IES, introduced this topic as part of the “Sustainable and Smart Cities” theme.

IES’s role in the project Energy in Time is the development of highly calibrated simulation-based building models, which can used in near-real time for automated control optimization and decision making. The core for this model is a 3D simulation model through which it is possible to detect faults in an automated way and apply analysis focused on prediction and optimization to determine future trends and the best course of action, respectively. It implies integration with virtual App for comprehensive building auditing and web-based BMS data acquisition.

The 3D simulation model is based on the 4 demo sites physically located in different countries: Portugal (Faro, Airport), Romania (ICPE, office building) and Finland (Levi, hotel and Sanomatalo, commercial and office building). The real input is provided through the Data Acquisition model which facilitates accurate building profiles to replace standard profiles in simulation models. IES also introduces Building Model Calibration, a process of improving the accuracy of simulation models to reflect the as-built status and current operating conditions.

The benefits of this complex approach are multiple. We can highlight the following: real-time comparison of the building performance against virtual building models, greater accuracy by faults and real-time inefficiencies detection and intelligent prediction to ensure maximum efficiency for building operations.

The prototypes of all elements have been developed and tested at least in a simulation environment. Remaining work for this coming year and the next 2017 will focus on integration and demonstration in real buildings located in EU.

Sources:

All-Energy

All Energy: All Wrapped Up

Making real-time operational control of buildings a reality with 3D simulation

Sustainable ecologically friendly places are already the reality

RenenVillages is a pilot programme for ecological, sustainable and fully autonomous villages. An example is the village of 25 houses situated in the suburbs of Amsterdam. It is able to produce its own food, generate electricity for lighting and manage waste in a totally efficient way contributing to a closed-loop regenerative system and avoiding any type of contamination. It is worth mentioning the high quality of what they produce: organic food, clean water ready or drinking and clean energy.

The project will come true in 2017 and will grow incorporating more houses, up to 100. RenenVillages is planned to implement in several European countries like Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany and further in Middle East.

The eco-village “off-grid” concept must test the modern technology in regard with costs efficiency in order to justify sustainability of integration of the local energy generation, food production methods and waste-to-resource system. The challenge is to apply smart management systems for all this and build resilient communities. The project aims to redefine residential real-estate development through these regenerative communities.

Eco-communities are not new. At the beginning of this century the so called Eco-Towns were developed by utilizing regional technologies and industries in Japan. The scheme is based on sustainable production and consumption involving various eco-concepts: green procurement, consumerism and labeling, industrial ecology, extended producer responsibility, socially responsible investment, integrated waste management, global reporting initiative and corporate social responsibility.

These kind of projects can be considered as an effective countermeasure to the coming population boom[1] and an increasing demand for clean water, food and energy systems. At the same time, it contributes highly for the ecological balance and reduces burdens on local and national governments.

Sources:

Crean el primer pueblo ecológico capaz de producir luz y reciclar su basura.

RegenVillages, the officil site.

This eco-village is designed to be fully self-sufficient, from energy to food to waste.

Eco Towns in Japan.

[1] By 2050 nearly 10-billion people will live on earth, requiring the urgent need for regenerative housing and community development.