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Abstract: There are many kinds of methods to estimate the energy requirement or fuel consumption in the optimal design and minimize the life cost of a building. The bin method is one of the most popular ways to estimate the energy performance of a building, which is based on the hourly-based outdoor dry-bulb temperatures of all days in a whole year. There is lack of information about the bin weather data in China. In this paper, the ambient temperature bin data for 26 cities in China are generated. Based on the method used in this paper, the bin data can be calculated with the long-term daily weather record or TMY weather data, the deviation between them is acceptable. The bin data given in this paper may have the positive impact on building energy conservation in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Renewables are going to make our planet a better place to live. These clean resources of energy can bring a handful of advantages to the future electricity industries. Nevertheless, the large percentage of renewables integration can cause some operational issues, in power systems, which are needed to be identified and coped with. This paper defines, classifies and discusses the latest flexibility treatments in power system based on a comprehensive literature study. The current work specifically considers the abilities, barriers, and inherent attributes of power systems’ potential to deal with high integration of Variable Generations (VGs) in future flexible power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China, India and Pakistan (CIP) contain almost 40% of the world population and constitute a developing region which is desperately seeking energy resources to fulfill the growing economy requirements. CIP are three main countries of South Eastern Asia with nuclear capability and have greater potential of energy sharing for the regional prosperity and socio economic development. The total energy consumption of China and India is 3682.15 Million tons of Oil Equivalent (MTOE) which is approximately 28% of the world. The energy consumption of Pakistan is far less i.e. 85.75 MTOE however, it can play a pivotal role by providing energy sharing opportunities in the region. This paper presents a comparative and comprehensive review of CIP renewable energy sectors and possible sharing opportunities. Cleaner and abundant Renewable Energy Sources (RES) like hydro, solar, wind, biomass, nuclear and geothermal have been discussed and compared in context of CIP energy requirements. CIP relations and energy sharing opportunities have also been elaborated in context of regional peace and security situation. Exploitation of the CIP energy potential and energy sharing opportunities might contribute to global peace and prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Buildings are the most important economical sector in the world but also the major contributors of environmental damage, from the sourcing of raw materials through to the energy used for their functioning and to the disposal of their elements once their life cycle comes to an end. Almost half of the UK’s carbon emissions come from the use of buildings and houses alone account for more than 30% of all primary energy demand. In an attempt to reduce this impact, the British Government is pushing towards the development of energy efficient and zero carbon buildings, both in new construction and in the existing stock. But how is the market receiving such buildings? Are energy efficient buildings gaining a competitive advantage in the current marketplace? In some countries such as The Netherlands, energy efficient houses reach values 2.8% higher on average than normal houses. In the UK the Sustainability Property Index (ISPI) reveals that, for the properties examined in 2010, regular properties delivered a cumulative total return of −10.8%, compared with −14.9% for more energy efficient ones. This is bad news considering the higher capital investment usually needed to achieve zero carbon buildings. The current reality in the UK market seems to be that people may not (yet) be willing to pay more rent for energy efficient buildings. As rent and capital value are inexorably linked, whether or not a building is zero carbon does not yet seem to be affecting property value. This paper does not present definitive answers but discusses possible reasons for that through two case studies and their positions in the marketplace, and suggests that the situation may change as energy prices increase and buildings acquire a potential ‘earning capacity’ through the use of renewable energy technologies and feed-in tariffs. The introduction of Energy Performance Certificates has also started to impact on the market. Could energy efficient buildings become a property sector in their own right in the near future, with premium priced accordingly? Or is simply that we do not yet have an ability to identify from the data whether the market is differentiating? [Copyright &y& Elsevier]