Search

On March 11, 2011, the Tohoku earthquake caused major damage to almost all public infrastructures including energy and water facilities in Fukushima Prefecture. Following the nuclear disaster, which lead to a shortage of energy, the government of Japan enacted new policy measures to redefine its energy-mix after its earlier commitment to the Copenhagen Climate Summit in 2009 to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 25% from 1990 levels by 2020. In 2015, Japan ratified the Paris Accord and set a national greenhouse gas reduction goal - 26% below 2013 levels by 2030. To meet this requirement, Japan needs to restructure its current electricity consumption by identifying the optimal demand of electricity by households, commercial buildings, and public utilities. This calls for public infrastructures to manage their electricity consumption efficiently by adopting appropriate electricity conservation methods using precision monitoring systems. To support the policy of the government of Japan toward conservation of energy, in this paper, we outline the energy demand of a public utility system, namely a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, and based on the data obtained using an innovative information and communication technology (ICT) tool. Using the monitored data, we further predict the electricity demand for each process of the WWTP using a Markov switching model. These models have high repeatability of monitoring results for each process according to various indices. In our results, all R2 values were more than 0.8; mean absolute percentage error values were under 10% for total electricity consumption and the water treatment process, and the relative root mean square error rate of each process was under 20%. Based on the results, we developed a future electricity consumption prediction model for WWTP total electricity consumption and the consumption of each process. The study emphasizes the need for an innovative ICT and advanced analysis system for supporting the governance of public facilities. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The flexibility of buildings in Building-to-Grid (B2G) systems has led to the participation of buildings as one of the largest energy consumers in energy management and moving towards clean, reliable and sustainable energy systems. The development of appropriate frameworks for B2G requires appropriate control strategies for the active participation of buildings in these services. These frameworks require the demand side management (DSM) and participation in demand response (DR) programs that can increase the flexibility of the building, reduce operating costs, and reduce the need for capacity development in energy networks. A significant part of the energy cost of commercial buildings is related to the demand charge. As a result, commercial buildings to reduce this cost should reduce the peak demand or the length of the period of this peak demand. To do this, commercial buildings require operational flexibility to change their operating schedule. In this paper, a multi-level demand charge, along with a real time pricing (RTP) program and incentivize signals for the participation of thermal energy storage (TES) integrated commercial buildings in DR programs, has been used to examine building performance in the presence of these complex pricing schemes. In this regard, a model predictive control (MPC) strategy has been developed to optimize the performance of the building and to benefit from the operational flexibility of the TES. The results showed that the existence TES in a commercial building leads to more flexibility for partaking in DR programs, and so a reduction in energy costs and demand charge besides maintaining occupants comfort level. Highlights • Participating a commercial building with TES in DSM programs has been evaluated. • A stochastic optimization problem is modelled by applying MPC. • Different DR programs demand charge and also thermal welfare has been considered. • The model makes a better balance between DSMs programs and customers welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosques are external load dominated buildings that are characterized by their intermittent and varying occupancy schedules. Most mosques employ some form of mechanical heating/cooling system in order to maintain suitable thermal comfort conditions for the users during prayer times. Due to the unique spatial characteristics and occupancy patterns of mosques, these systems are often found to be energy-intensive which impacts the overall energy efficiency of the building. The inefficiency in mosque energy usage has been typically attributed to the poor thermal performance of the buildings along with unsuitable operational strategies for the occupancy schedule of mosques. This paper reviews contemporary literature on mosque energy usage with an aim of identifying the factors that influence the energy efficiency of mosque buildings. Findings from the literature have been categorized according to different parameters of the building design as well as design and operational strategies of the heating/cooling systems. Discussion on the common practice and best practice has also been done with respect to thermal comfort standards and requirements. In addition to that, this paper compares and critically evaluates the studies that have aimed at reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency in mosques. Findings from multiple research suggest that as much as half of the energy usage can be reduced with the optimization of building design and operational strategies of mosques. The review of contemporary literature provides valuable insights into mosque energy usage patterns and identifies the important aspects to be considered in reducing energy consumption in mosque buildings. Through this literature review, numerous research gaps have been identified that may be pivotal in designing energy efficient mosques. Based on those, future potential research prospects have also been suggested. Image 1 • A comprehensive review on energy performance of mosque buildings is presented. • Factors influencing mosque energy efficiency are identified. • Impact of mosque design and operational parameters on energy usage are addressed. • Critical analysis of energy optimization studies is presented. • Numerous research gaps and scopes are identified for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming, climate change, and resource depletion have forced us to reconsider energy usage and efficiencies over the last few decades. Residential and commercial buildings are both large energy consumers, so improving energy and material usage efficiency in this sector is a common research topic. According to a recent study, the Building Sector (BS) accounts for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions. The primary objective of this paper is to examine and assess the potential of Renewable Energy Systems (RES) and their combinations for enhancing energy efficiency in the BS. Specifically, the focus will be on converting low energy-efficient buildings into highly efficient ones. The potential of the RES and their combinations for the BS is evaluated based on payback durations, energy generation, and reduction of CO 2 emissions. The optimization flow charts for the RES, feasibility studies, commercialization road maps of energy storage systems and the necessity of control mechanisms for enhancing RES efficiency were discussed. Additionally, the technology drawbacks are discussed, along with various innovative techniques recommended to direct future study in this area. Finally, this article assists the audience clear idea in the selection of the right combination of potential RES based on different conditions to achieve deep decarbonization in BSs. • Buildings sector (BS) responsible for 40% of GHG emissions. • Study assesses potential of Renewable Energy System (RES) in BS. • RES evaluated on payback, energy generation, and CO 2 reduction. • Optimization, feasibility and commercialization studies were discussed. • Article recommends right RES combinations for deep decarbonization in BS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zero-energy buildings have attracted interest worldwide as they consume less energy and can alleviate energy shortages caused by rapid economic development. This paper presents a review of the research and development regarding zero-energy buildings in China. First, it briefly introduces the evolution of the definition of zero-energy buildings and discusses the key influencing factors of such buildings in China. Then, envelope design, selection of mechanical and electrical equipment, and solar energy utilization aspects of zero-energy buildings are examined. Additionally, this paper discusses the development and application of zero-energy buildings in China, including project types, design methods, energy resources allocation, and energy operation management. Finally, this paper analyzes China's policies for zero-energy buildings, including incentive mechanisms, laws and regulations, and problems encountered, and provides suggestions for promoting zero-energy buildings in China. We expect this review to identify gaps and future directions for research and development, which will lead to new technologies, methods, policies, and standards that can be applied to zero-energy buildings. • Research and development of zero energy building in China is comprehensively reviewed. • Influencing factors and relevant zero-energy building design components are examined. • Development and application of zero-energy buildings in China are examined. • Zero energy policies in China are analyzed and suggestions for the promotion of zero-energy buildings are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the significance of carbon emissions from the existing building stock, this paper aims to provide an international comparative analysis of pioneering policies on minimum energy efficiency standards in the Scottish, English/Welsh, Dutch and French commercial real estate sectors. These are the four national policy regimes to employ these policy instruments to date with varied timelines spanning from 2009 to 2050. The methodological approach employs a document review of policy texts produced by policy makers and other stakeholders. The four policy regimes are evaluated in terms of their policy design focussing on minimum performance standards, forward guidance, scope and exemptions. A key finding is that, given the range of intervening factors, side-effects and uncertainties, there are difficult choices in striking a balance between phasing implementation, providing forward guidance and adjusting policy in response to evaluation. Whilst it was initially expected that most European Union jurisdictions would default to an Energy Performance Certificate related standard, our findings show that there has been a shift towards standards that are linked to actual rather than modelled energy consumption. However, for leased stock where the owner may have limited operational control, the separation of owners' responsibility for compliance and the users' responsibility for operations makes designing consumption-based instruments more challenging. It is concluded that a central issue in policy design has been the trade-off between minimising the financial costs to property owners and occupiers of complying with performance thresholds and maximising reductions in energy consumption. There is growing recognition that regulatory economies of scale may be achieved by targeting large properties which allows for a large proportion of the total area of the stock to be covered whilst exempting a large proportion of transactions or properties. • Policy makers use MEES to improve the energy efficiency of the worst building stock. • Significant policy divergence is observed across the four national policy regimes to date. • MEES should be based on actual energy consumption rather than design-based metrics. • The separation of ownership and use is a barrier to MEES linked to actual consumption. • Regulatory economies of scale may be achieved by targeting large properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of energy consumption in buildings has become an alarming threat to the climate. Various building-level energy saving measures have been studied and adopted to achieve energy efficiency. However, high-rise public residential buildings in subtropical climate as an important contributor to building-level energy consumption have received insufficient attention of research. The aim of this paper is to analyse the energy use of high-rise residential buildings in subtropical climate and examine the impacts of different energy saving measures for developing strategies for achieving very low-energy high-rise buildings. A typical high-rise (40-storey) public residential building in Hong Kong was selected as the case building, which has the energy use intensity of 106.6 kWh/m2 for the total building area and of 153.8 kWh/m2 for the area inside the residential units. The energy model of the case building developed using EnergyPlus software was carefully calibrated using metered energy use data and expert consultations adopting a systematic approach. Sensitivity analyses were then conducted using the parametric analysis tool jEPlus to quantify the impacts of different energy saving measures on energy use intensity reduction. It was found the measures in relation to human behaviours have the largest impact, followed by building service system efficiency and renewable energy. Building form and building envelope have the modest impact. The findings enhance the knowledge of subtropical high-rise public residential buildings' energy performance, and the developed and calibrated energy model could be used to explore more strategic energy saving measures in the long term. The quantified impacts of the measures should inform design decisions of low-energy housing production in high-rise sectors. • A 40-storey building is examined with energy use 153.8 kWh/m2 for residential area. • Energy model uses EnergyPlus software with sensitivity analyses tool jEPlus. • Behaviours have largest impact on energy use, then building services and renewables. • Building form and envelope have the modest impact on energy use reduction. • Systemic strategies are suggested for very low-energy high-rise residential buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]