Tag Archives: alternative energy sources

smart buildings

Why smart buildings are beneficial?

Smart, or smartly designed buildings are not only a trend but a real need to use all available resources at hand to improve the living standards and contribute to create and maintain a sustainable place to live in, that is, in a smart living city.

Buildings in different countries must be designed according to the local climate in order to obtain the maximum of benefits for energy saving. For example, Punjab, India, proposed a practical approach for the new buildings’ design to use all the possible daylight for energy balance both in summer and winter.

What started with a declaration in 2001 known as Energy Conservation Act in Punjab, has turned recently into a law obliging all new buildings with a connected load of 100 kilowatt and more to follow a power-saving code through which it will be possible to reduce energy consumption by up to 40%. The code applies to all buildings with an air-conditioned area of 500 square meters, besides to complexes, group houses, offices, hotels, shopping zones, and private hospitals. According to Punjab Energy Development Agency (Peda), the code covers the following aspects: building aesthetics, envelope, mechanical system, the equipments for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning, interior and exterior lighting, and hot-water service, besides electrical power and motors for thermal comfort in non-central-AC buildings.

These actions pretend to involve different professionals related to construction and urban management, for instance, chief architects, chief town planners, local bodies, and agencies involved in clearing construction projects in urban centers. Of course, modern technologies are needed to drive towards sustainable urban energy systems.

This is also a valuable contribution to the environment protection since this practice allows to reduce notoriously greenhouse gases emissions. Actually, energy inefficient constructions are highly responsible for such emissions, according to IEA. Between now and 2050 a large portion of new buildings – equivalent to 40% of the world’s current building stock – will be built in cities in emerging and developing economies. The situation regarding inefficient buildings already constructed and the projection of new ones must be checked urgently if we want to prioritize the climate change – a hard but possible task, although many governments must cooperate and unite their efforts to promote serious regulations regarding new constructions and maintenance of old ones. This will revert positively in living conditions, safety, economic growth, just naming a few.

Sources:

New building code to save ‘40% power’ coming up in Punjab.

Make building standards top priority for tackling climate change.

Energy Technology Perspectives 2016.

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energy-renewable-sources

Impact of Renewable Energy Sources in Energy Efficiency

The role of renewable energy is getting more and more important on the International Energy Market. Many countries decided to shift from traditional to alternative energy sources reducing burning coal or even stopping it and abandoning nuclear energy generation. The renewables are replacing the traditional sources of power generation in an attempt to create sustainable space for working and living and contribute in a more efficient protection to the environment.

We have presented that the European countries, such as Portugal, Germany and Spain, have relied on the energy generated by renewable sources: wind, water, waves and tides, sunlight, biofuels, geothermal heat, etc. The results are surprising and very positive. For example, in Portugal the recent test proved that the entire country was able to run on renewable energy alone for 4 days.

Portugal used successfully the alternative sources for energy in 2013 getting up to 70% in consumption of electricity; the main source of energy for that country comes from biofuels and waste. The introduction of renewable sources, such as wind and hydropower, has been increasing its presence in the energy market of Portugal since 1990’s, and since 2006 with geothermal and solar. The contribution of renewables into the total power consumption in Portugal grew from 25,7% registered in 2013 to 63% in 2014[1].

renewable-sources

Germany, leader in using of renewable energy sources, registered that the 95% of the energy consumed on May, 8th came from renewables. After abandoning nuclear energy programmed for 2022, according to the plan called Energiewende, Germany has a target to reach in 2050 80% of energy that comes from renewable sources.

Another example of a successful use of alternative sources for energy is in Spain where hydropower contributed in 30% to the total energy generated in April of this year. The rest of renewable sources generated around 40% more of energy during the same period, making the total contribution of 70%. Spain scheduled the closure of carbon stations in 2025, cutting the corresponding subsidies in 2018. In 2050 the energy generation is planned to be 100% derived from renewable sources. This is the right moment to start transition in a more active way and train properly the personnel of the energy sector, experts say.

The shift from traditional to alternative sources for power generation has many advantages. One of them is the immediate ecological improvement because of the reduction of CO2, SO2 and NOx emissions which impact negatively both on our health and the environment. This is also a clear case of getting a cheaper energy due to imbalances produced between power generation and consumption. We cannot but accept that the energy production is driving towards more sustainable and clean energy sources. The renewable power sources have already proved that they are reliable and contribute highly to the EU’s energy efficiency.

[1] 2015 showed a lower indicator due to drought, 50,4%.

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