February-March 2012 issue

In between..

6

1 Green Buildings Demystified Sandeep Goswami

2

Cool Roofs: Cost Effective Technology for Better Buildings, Healthier Cities and a Cooler Planet

8

Kurt Shickman

3

HEMP - A really ecological building material for India

10

Steve Allin

4

Building a 'Green Building' in Small Scale 13

5

Understanding the Performance of Green Commercial Buildings Beyond Energy Efficiency

T. Jayaraman

16

Peter Newman, Karlson Hargroves and Samantha Hall

6

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) opportunities in India for Green Buildings

19

G.Subramanyam

7 8 9

Energy Efficient Architecture Archana Chaudhary

How to Build a Greener City?

Totty

Hydrogen Fuel of the Future?

Darshan Goswami

24 28 32

10 Reducing Solar PV Installation Costs: 34 An Interview with Eric Peeters, Dow Corning's Vice President for Clean Energy Dr. Chandra Shekhar

11 Prospects to Generate Waterspouts to Increase Hydroelectric Power Harry Valentine

12 OPINION: Are There Gallows for Climate Fraud?

38

Alan Caruba

13 Green Building Rating System & Case Study (LEED)

By Satish Kumar

41

36

ENERGY

ITZ L B

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2012

Advisory Board Dr. A. Jagadeesh | India Dr. Bhamy Shenoy | USA Er. Darshan Goswami | USA Elizabeth H. Thompson | Barbados Pincas Jawetz | USA Ediorial Board Salman Zafar | India Editor & Publisher M. R. Menon Business & Media P. Roshini Book Design Shamal Nath Circulation Manager Andrew Paul Printed and Published by M.R.Menon at Midas Offset Printers, Kuthuparamba, Kerala Editorial Office 'Pallavi' Kulapully Shoranur 679122, Kerala (E-Mail: editor.energyblitz@gmail.com) Disclaimer: The views expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and the Editorial team | energy blitzdoes not take responsibility for the contents and opinions.energy blitz will not be responsible for errors, omissions or comments made by writers, interviewers or Advertisers.Any part of this publication may be reproduced with acknowledgment to the author and magazine.

Registered and Editorial Office 'Pallavi, Kulapully, Shoranur 679122, Kerala, India Tel: +91-466-2220852/9995081018 E-mail: editor.energyblitz@gmail.com Web: energyblitz.webs.com

“A Green Building should create delight when entered, serenity and health when occupied and regret when departed.� The appearance of a Green Building will be similar to any other building. However, the difference is in the approach, which revolves round a concern for extending the life span of natural resources; provide human comfort, safety and productivity. This approach results in reduction in operating costs like energy and water, besides several intangible benefits.

The energy-conscious design approach helps designers and building owners to economically reduce building operating costs, while improving comfort for the building's occupants. The energy consumed by a building depends on its use (whether residential, commercial or industrial), the type of building (air-conditioned or otherwise), the interaction of spaces, and the climate. Architects have to ensure that the design of the built form suits the intended use of the building and the specific needs of the client within the framework of the prevailing climatic conditions.

In any building design, one employs simple techniques such as orientation, shading of windows, colour, and vegetation among others, to create comfortable conditions. Such techniques pertain to the building envelope. Building envelopes not only provide the thermal divide between the indoor and outdoor environment, but also play an important role in determining how effectively the building can utilise natural lighting, ventilation, and heating & cooling resources. Thus, intelligent configuration and moulding of the built form and its surroundings can considerably minimise the level of discomfort inside a building, and reduce the consumption of energy required to maintain comfortable conditions.

It is extremely important to pause for a while and carry out necessary course correction for the benefit of the mother earth and our future generations. It is a well established fact that green buildings offer immense potential to reduce consumption and regenerate resources from waste and renewable sources and offer win-win solution for user, owner and the environment.

The Earth has an albedo of 0.29, meaning that it reflects 29% of the sunlight that falls upon it. With an albedo of 0.1, towns absorb more sunlight than the global average. Painting all roofs white could nudge the Earth's albedo from 0.29 towards 0.30. According to a very simple "zero-dimensional" model of the Earth, this would lead to a drop in global temperature of up to 1° C, almost exactly cancelling out the global warming that has taken place since the start of the industrial revolution. A zero-dimensional model, however, excludes the atmosphere and, crucially, the role of clouds.

Building a real net-zero house is more than investing an arm and a leg in photovoltaic panels or buying a big wind generator. Reducing the amount of energy needed to heat and cool the house is the essential consideration, and that means a tight, well-insulated building envelope and more awareness on the part of homeowners about their energy use. Investing in energy-efficient appliances and lighting fixtures, eliminating phantom electrical loads, and orienting the house to take advantage of sunlight all cut the demand for electricity and fossil fuels.

Houses should be designed to produce enough energy to offset the embodied energy in all the building materials plus the energy required to build the house. This means the house must produce more energy than it uses on a yearly basis. Roughly 8% of a home's energy use is embodied energy from producing and transporting the building materials used in its construction. This is sometimes called regenerative architecture, and it has a deep ethical vein running through it.

There is no single path toward energy self-sufficiency, nor are we arguing that building net-zero houses will magically solve the world's energy or climate problems. But one house at a time, one neighborhood at a time, is how green building became mainstream. Building houses that are energy self-sufficient is completely within our capabilities not at some distant point of time, but right now.

A better use of roofs would be to use them as mini power stations by installing photovoltaic tiles. This would displace a significant proportion of the fossil carbon that we emit without relying on perturbing the Earth's delicate and complex climate system. Sure prevention is much better than uncertain cure. So next time you replace the tiles on your roof or buy a new house, you know what to do (if you can't/won't get solar panels, white tiles or a green roof, at least try to get a light color!).

In this issue you will find a variety of interesting, well studied, in-depth and informative articles on 'Energy Efficient Green Buildings'.

Ramanathan Menon

Green Building Demystified

By Sandeep Goswami

6

The word "Green" building although heard by almost all people within the Construction & Building Industry, not all understand what it means and what the word LEED & GRIHA certification signifies.

To make this easy to understand one has to understand certain basic facts of Environmental degradation and the advancement of civilization. The reasons for Environmental degradation are many in an industrialized nation and primary amongst them is the Building Industry. It alone is responsible for 40% of energy related Green House Gas (GHG) emission and 60% waste come from the building industry.

One must bear in mind that the building industry is the largest consumer of all other sectors of the industrialized world, as it consumes steel, cement, sand at the basic level and wood, aluminum, glass, textile, leather, paint,

etcetera at the finishing level. What is most striking is that almost all materials used in a modern building is either mined, extracted or harvested from the Earth's natural resources.

This natural resource in its pristine form usually has a GREEN cover, there is usually a lush green forest or meadow full of beautiful green grass & flowers swaying in the cool breeze before the Bulldozer comes in and rips it apart to extract - iron ore, or axes chop down the trees and huge hydelpower dams flood the whole region and the beautiful scenic valley is under water, never to be seen again. So we destroy this green.

Why does it happen? Simple! We need the materials to build ourselves a home. So every-time we buy or sell a home we are responsible for the

degradation of the planet. While no one can advocate that we must then go back to living in caves, taking a little responsibility would help a long way in preserving this planet's natural resources for the future generations and give them a healthy Environment to live in.

Therefore, when buildings are designed sustainably and are energy-efficient, they consume less electrical power and less water, it also reduces by almost 20% the use of building material & waste. In this process it saves more materials from being extracted and thus helps in preserving the "green".

Therefore sustainable and energyefficient buildings are called "Green" buildings.

The environmental movement might be said to have begun

centuries ago as a response to industrialization. As universal concern about the healthy and sustainable use of the planet and its resources continued to grow, the UN, in 1972, convened the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, in Stockholm.

While many laws have been passed over a period of time for industrial pollution, vehicular pollution, etcetera, it was soon recognized that the construction activity also needs to have its act cleaned up. The United Kingdom came up with a sustainable building rating system called BREAM, the United States of America created the

LEED and recently India has its own National rating for buildings known as GRIHA. In 2001 the Confederation of Indian Industries {CII}under the great foresight of Godrej brought in LEED {Leadership in Energy and Environment Design} to India and it was called LEED -India Green Building rating system. With time, great Indian minds of the business & industry came together to fashion the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) which today has numerous building rated all over India under its certification.

The Government of India too under its National Action Plan for Climate Change, understood the need for an indigenous sustainable building rating system, as not all type of buildings especially in the smaller towns and cities of India, where need and life style are different than in the bigger metropolis, could be rated properly under the LEED rating system which is based on foreign climate and life-style and the IGBC is still evolving. This rating system is called Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA).

He provides consultation and ideas on the Role of Energy Efficient Building in Climate Change and the advantages to Builder / Architect. As COO of the Fountain Head-II, Mr. Goswami has been able to introduce the {EEB, RE & CDM consultant}concept of Energy Efficient Building, Renewable Energy solutions to buildings and Clean Development Methodology to accrue Carbon Credits [funds].

He had been invited to various Union Government policy making panels through CII-IGBC & TERIGRIHA in discussions for Energy Efficiency and his suggestions have been very well received. He was invited to join as member to the {UNEP-SBCI} United Nations Environmental Program Sustainable Building & Climate Initiative. He has been interviewed by ET-Now TV during the Indian Bank Association Climate Change meet. Interviewed by Hindustan Times, New Delhi. Times of India, Mumbai, Mumbai-Mirror. Has been invited to give lecture in Climate Change and Energy Efficient Buildings by: Indian Business School, Powai, Mumbai along with Andrew Light, Ph.D., who is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress specializing in international climate and science policy, and a professor at George Mason University where he is director of the Center for Global Ethics.

Appreciated personally by former India's President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam at the 'Vishwa 09' conference, wherein as a panelist gave a presentation on Climate resilient cities and sustainable township design. His contact email: sandeep@fountainhead2.com

Wind is a clean, local source of energy, and it is one of the cheapest clean energy technologies. In some areas, wind can compete in price with fossil fuels.

7

Cool Roofs:

Cost Effective Technology for Better Buildings, Healthier Cities and a Cooler Planet

By Kurt Shickman

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Earth's average temperature is on track to increase by between 2° and 7° Celsius this century, producing a climate never before experienced by human civilization. Our cities are warming even more quickly because they are heated by human activity, urban surfaces absorb more light than natural landscapes, and urban areas lack vegetation to cool through evaporation.

This phenomenon is called the “urban heat island effect.”

Accompanying global warming is a significant trend towards urbanization.

Currently, 50 percent of the world's population is urbanized and it is estimated that 80 percent will be urbanized in 50 years. As a result, sustainability efforts should focus on the built environment.

Increasing the reflectance of our buildings and paved surfaces can reduce the temperature of buildings, cities, and even the entire planet. Cool buildings are more energy efficient and comfortable. Cool cities have lower incidences of heat and pollution related illness.

Deploying cool roofs in temperate and tropical cities worldwide could partially offset the warming effect of greenhouse gas emissions.

These results can be achieved with readily available and cost-effective m a t e r i a l s a n d t e c h n o l o g y.

What are cool roofs?

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Cool surfaces are measured by how

much light they reflect (solar reflectance) and how efficiently they radiate heat ( t h e r m a l emittance). A cool roofing surface is both highly reflective and highly emissive to minimize the amount of light converted into heat and to maximize the amount of heat that is radiated away. The coolest surfaces are white, though reflective colored surfaces are also available.

Cool roofing technology can be applied to any type of building and almost all roofing material types have cool options. Examples include rigid and flexible white membranes, field- and factory-applied coatings, light-colored granules and aggregate, reflective tiles and more. Cool roofs may increase the heating requirements for buildings in cooler climates in the winter season.

This so-called "winter heating penalty" is often minimal because the sun is at a low angle in the winter months, snow cover on roofs makes the underlying roof cover irrelevant, and heating loads are more pronounced in the evenings, especially in residential buildings.

Thus, the net energy savings for buildings in cooler climates is usually positive, even when there is a winter heating penalty.

Benefits Research suggests that cool roofs and pavements produce the following benefits: Cooler Buildings: Highly reflective roofs can reduce the indoor temperatures of buildings by 1° to 2° Celsius, which lowers their cooling needs and results in net energy savings of approximately 10 to 20 percent on the top floor. This potential reduction is a more than $700 million energy annual savings opportunity in the U.S. commercial sector alone. Cooler indoor temperatures can make unconditioned

buildings more comfortable, forestall the need for conditioning equipment, and even save lives during heat waves.

Extreme changes in surface temperature damage roofs and the expensive equipment on it. Cool roofs reduce temperature fluctuations and help lengthen the life of roof equipment and material. A cooler roof can also help improve the efficiency of solar PV panels. Cooler roofs are more comfortable and functional for residents of regions where the roof is used as living and sleeping space.

Cooler Cities: Studies show that widespread installations of cool roofs, pavements and shade trees can reduce summer air temperatures in cities by 2° to 4° Celsius.Such a transition would result in health benefits from improved air quality because smog (ozone) forms more quickly at higher temperatures.

Simulations of Los Angeles indicate that a comparable temperature reduction would reduce excess smog by 10% -- excess above EPA-defined safe concentrations. Smog reductions of this magnitude could potentially save billions of dollars per year in avoided health care costs.

Cool roofs help make cities more resilient to heat related deaths by cooling the areas in buildings where the risk of death during heat waves is high.

For example, virtually all of the 739 deaths in the 1995 Chicago heat wave occurred in the top floors of buildings with dark roofs after the first 48 hours of the heat event. Subsequent heat waves have claimed tens of thousands of lives in the U.S., Europe, Russia, India and elsewhere.

Approximately 5-10 percent of U.S. peak electricity demand for air conditioning is a result of the urban heat island effect and research indicates that peak electricity demand increases by 24% for every 0.5° Celsius increase in temperature above a threshold of about 15° 20° Celsius.In climate zones where summer brings peak electricity demand from air conditioning, cool roofs are of great value to utilities and grid operators. They can shave peak load, reduce transmission line congestion,

avoid congestion pricing and forego the need for additional energy generation capacity.

credits, volume purchasing discount assistance, or expedited permitting processes for projects with cool roofs.

aesthetic options for visible roofs.

Initial research has focused on colorshifting for window applications.

Cooler Planet: It is estimated that if the solar reflectance of roofs was increased by 0.25 in the tropical and temperate climate regions where it made economic sense to make such a transition, the resulting cooling effect would be equivalent to reducing CO2 emissions by 24 billion metric tons over the 20-year life of the roof (1.2 billion metric tons annually, or approximately 0.5 ton per 100m2 of cool roof per year) or the equivalent of shutting down 500 medium sized coal power plants for the same period of time. These savings do not include the direct emissions avoided by reducing air conditioning demand.

Advanced Research

Clear coatings In cases where a roof is visible and a white surface is not desired, a reflective coating that is visually clear could help increase reflectivity without causing aesthetic problems for the building owner. Clear coatings are under initial development for asphalt shingles the predominant residential roofing material used in North America.

Cool Roof Economics: Costs and materials vary by region, but cool roofs a r e t y p i c a l l y a c o s t - e ff e c t i v e investment. If the roof needs to be replaced anyway, choosing a white colored material often costs the same as a dark colored alternative. Depending on the materials used, the added cost to choose a white roof instead of a dark roof for a low-sloped (i.e. almost flat) roof on a commercial or multi-story residential building is typically between $0 to $2.20/m2, resulting in a U.S. average simple payback period of zero to six years through energy savings.

Policy One of the highest impact ways to support the rapid implementation of cool roofs is through building and energy codes. Model code language exists and can be readily adapted to local conditions. Policymakers may also consider incentive programs to increase voluntary installation of cool roofs or to set a stretch target when codes are in place. Incentive programs pair well with codes for another reason they help prepare the market for the increase in demand as building owners seek to comply with code requirements.

Incentives could include rebates, tax

While cool roofs are a well-developed and globally available technology, research and development continues to advance in a number of important areas: Keeping roofs cleaner, longer White roofs soil as they age, resulting in reduced reflectance. To help improve the performance of aged roofs, researchers are developing materials that resist dirt pickup and/or chemically alter and remove deposited dirt. Dirt pickup can be reduced by using materials that are smooth and by reducing the use of plasticizers that can leach to the roof surface. Dirt can be chemically altered and removed by incorporating photocatalytic compounds such as titanium dioxide (TiO2). Another potential benefit of using photocatalytic materials is the reduction of ground-levelozone precursors More color options White is not the only reflective color. Researchers have discovered or developed pigments and compounds that produce colors that appear identical to standard colors but are more reflective. Such colors can be significantly cooler as a result.

Research efforts continue to identify new cool colors and to increase the reflectivity of cool colors.

Directional reflectivity New products are also under development that would allow more precise control of how light reflects off of a surface. Such surfaces allow for pitched roofs to be reflective while appearing dark from ground level.

Color-shifting materials Researchers are developing materials capable of shifting color based on temperature (thermochromic) and electrical stimuli (electrochromic). Such materials could potentially be used to mitigate the winter heating penalty or to provide

Advances in testing-- The Cool Roof Rating Council tests the reflectivity and emissivity of roofing products sold in the United States. The current testing protocol requires that product samples be exposed to the elements for 3 years to determine an aged rating. Efforts are underway to simulate the 3-year aging process in a matter of days or weeks in the laboratory. In the short term, simulations would help companies reduce the cost of innovation by sending only promising materials to be formally age tested. In the long run, the laboratory aging could replace the physical aging requirement and vastly accelerate product availability and innovation.

Cool Pavements Researchers are conducting field tests of permeable and reflective pavement materials and coatings to evaluate their performance and durability in a variety of usage scenarios.

OtherBroader geographic diversity of field testing and data sampling is necessary to better understand the benefits of cool roofs and pavements to individual communities. Field testing of wide-scale climate and air quality impacts of lowered urban heat island effects is needed, as is amore comprehensive accounting of life-cycle benefits and costs (e.g., roof life span, peak electricity benefits).

Mr. Shickman is the Executive Director of the Global Cool Cities Alliance (GCCA). Prior to joining GCCA,he was the Director of Research for the Energy Future Coalition and the United Nations Foundation's Energy and Climate team. His work involved building broad and diverse coalitions of stakeholders around key clean energy and climate change policies at the local, state, and federal level with a particular emphasis on dramatically scaling up the deployment of energy efficiency in existing residential and commercial buildings.Mr. Shickman received his Masters degree with a focus on Energy Policy and Economics in 2007 from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He has also worked in management consulting and corporate finance for several multinational firms including Royal Ahold, MCI Worldcom, and Federal Realty Investment Trust. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University. His contact email: kurtshickman@gmail.com

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HEMP - A really ecological building material for India

By Steve Allin There are few materials that have recently generated interest, with such a wide variety of claims to be ecological, as those derived from the Hemp plant.

Jack Herer was writing what was to become a best selling book “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” outlining the enormous potential of the plant and describing what he saw as the conspiracy of Bankers and Industrialists in the 1930's to outlaw the crop to protect their investments in Petrochemical alternatives.

F r o m t h e implications of agricultural production to the 25,000 or more end uses that have been suggested for the 4 basic products of bast, core, resins and seed, this is a potential crop that can offer mankind throughout the world many possibilities for real solutions to not only ecological problems but economic and health issues as well.

For the last 26 years there have been claims that the way hemp grows can repair depleted soils, feed us with the most nutritious of foods, provide carpeting beneath our feet, clothe us in hard-wearing, ideally absorbent and UV resistant fabric, provide paper, encase our vehicles in reinforced panels and of course offer many medicinal and recreational uses.

However one of the other areas of utilisation that comes under the scope of both ecological and economic is as a building material.

There are two basic building materials that have been produced from hemp, one is an insulating matting using hemp to replace glass fibre or Rockwool and the second is a revolutionary material we call Hempcrete. This latter material is the one I will explain here as it is one that has definite possibilities for India and Asia as a region.

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Hempcrete was first conceived by an imaginative builder and inventor by the

The inclusion of details of this new building material in the appendix of the 2nd edition very q u i c k l y, w i d e l y disseminated this knowledge and several people including myself started to import some of the product and experiment with it outside of France.

name of Charles Rassetti whilst working on a medieval house in a town called Nogent sur Seine in N.W. France.

He was looking for an infill for the oak frame of the house that replicated the lime based material used originally in that it prevented condensation by its hygroscopic qualities but also one that improved on the insulation ability.

Luckily for him nearby, the farmers cooperative of La Chanvre de L'Aube had just installed new processing equipment which meant the hemp material they created was of a new improved quality and he realised this might be the ideal ingredient for his idea.

Within a few years it had become apparent to many people working around him that this was a product with enormous potential and soon there were several varieties of Hempcrete being promoted and used in France.

Around the same time an American

My early attempts in Ireland where quite successful and soon I was doing jobs for others nearby and also running educational talks and demonstrations. This eventually led to me expanding my existing activities of Natural builder and designer to more exclusively concentrating of using Hemp building materials and in 2005 writing and publishing the first book on the subject “Building with Hemp”.

With formation several years later of the International Hemp Building Association the concept is now being promoted around the world wherever there is the possibility of producing Hemp crops.

There has been of course a long association between India and this plant, primarily of course due to the Charas, Hashish or Ganja obtained from the flowering tops but more recently with trials carried out at various agricultural research stations.

As a new alternative crop for farmers hemp as a crop, offers many things.

The speed at which it grows to heights

of 2 metres or more and the dense canopy it produces keeps competing unwanted plants suppressed and shades the ground beneath. It needs no pesticides or herbicides and a low level of fertilizer, thus keeping input costs down. Also the roots left behind in the ground after harvesting are long and tough, preventing erosion and providing aeration to the soil once the crop is removed.

Hurds as they are called with a 'breathing' binder can create a material we can build walls with and use as an infill in roofs and floors. The variety of building styles that can incorporate this Hempcrete are very broad and depending on the detailing of water shedding or wind proofing aspects, could be used anywhere on the subcontinent.

reduced foundations, and it also works with it's heat storage and insulating aspects to reduce or remove the need for heating or cooling both of which greatly affect the costs to the environment and pocket when using the inhabited building.

Construction techniques used to build with Hempcrete have developed from the casting of a non-load bearing

A house in Ireland built on sprayed Hempcrete These attributes make Hemp an ideal rotation crop so that, not only are farmers producing Hemp materials but will also be improving the quantity of successive crops planted on the land afterwards. This has positive implications for farmers growing annual food crops with little financial resources throughout Asia.

The hemp stem comprises an outer skin or bast, which, like Jute contains long fibres, that are used in textiles, but the woody core is what we are most interested in with regards to Hempcrete in fact the core of the Jute plant has similar characteristics. The combination of these woody chips or

I myself am a big fan of vernacular building styles and from my time spent in India in the 80's and 90's can identify designs suitable for houses or larger structures from the Himalayas to the tropical regions of Kerala or further south that could be either repaired or built using Hempcrete.

The main qualities of this material, which make it suitable for India is its' behaviour with heat and moisture.

Unlike concrete which not only is a carbon intensive material to produce but is also really unsuitable for constructing habitations due to it's hard, heavy and cold qualities Hempcrete is lightweight requiring

material around and between a timber frame of a 1, 2 or 3 story building, using a shuttering system in the early days, to a little later, the production of bricks made with a more compacted version of the material which are solid enough to be used in the manner of adobe.

Steel frames have also been used to provide the support for pre-cast panels to be erected for use on more industrial projects such as warehouses or retail outlets. The adaption of spraying machinery, previously used for applying concrete or plaster, to be able to install Hempcrete more quickly, have also improved the economics of the system. Thus, the building

11

techniques can be either high or low tech'.

Timber is of course an increasingly scarce resource but bamboo can be

only reduced by the emissions created by the manufacture of the binder by around 50% depending on the materials to around -100kg CO2 per m3.

discharged again as the moisture moves through the Hempcrete cell by cell. This creates an effect known as thermal inertia which is in effect an echoing of the energy stored in the structure of the building.

This works both ways, in winter providing a constant comfortable temperature with little need for heating and in the summer keeping the building again at a constant temperature so as not to need to turn the air conditioning on.

These characteristics together with the creation of a complete envelope around the building mean it is possible to produce a healthy and comfortable nest like structure using local materials and in a style that is compatible with the needs of the locale and the client.

Building with hemp used as an alternative very easily.

The ingredients of the binder, once one has the hemp materials obtained, can be adapted to the local climate and availability of suitable materials.

H y d r ated lime o r C alciu m Hydroxide is usually the base of the mixture but in order to hasten the drying and setting time of the material other ingredients such as cement, GBFS/GGBS (ground blast furnace slag/ground granulated basic slag) Natural Hydraulic Limes, Magnesium oxides or Gypsum can and have, all been used to create a suitable mix.

Furthermore the carbon sequestration of Hemp at approximately 2 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of dry material harvested is

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If the binder is created using other less carbon intensive materials such as local clay then the sequestration is even higher making it an even more carbon negative building product!!.

But why are we calling this material revolutionary? Well the structure of the Hemp hurds is a large part of how it works energy-wise.

The cellulose wood of the core of the Hemp stem is a very open structured substance comprised of minute cell like compartments, which have porous walls. When the moisture created inside the building by human exhalation or from cooking is absorbed by the Hempcrete walls or roof the heat contained within this vapour is absorbed and then

The skills needed are also easily taught once the structural implications are understood thus providing local communities with a resilience building tool that will be essential to withstand the shocks coming in the future to our societies from the effects of Peak Oil and other resource limits.

So, a truly ecological material suitable for use throughout India, able to be produced by large or small scale farmers together with other useful materials such as fibre or food, one that can be used by individuals on their own homes or by building companies to construct new homes for many.

From the production of the materials to the end use as a dwelling a low or even carbon negative material, which provides a comfortable and healthy environment to live or work and one that you could even use your self without the need for expensive professionals! This has to be introduced into India as soon as possible, surely!

Steve Allin has enthusiastically pioneered the use of hemp in building for the last 14 years and is the author of “Building with Hemp� 2005. 2nd edition will be out in January 2012. He was a director of Hemp Ireland Ltd. (1998-2003) which was set up to research the possibility of Hemp processing in Ireland. He is now a leading expert in the field, with a wide knowledge of the growing, processing and utilisation of hemp for construction. In 2009 he founded the International Hemp Building Association, which has over 100 members throughout the world. He is now working as a Hemp Building consultant internationally and developing training courses for Hemp Building techniques and travelling around the world spreading the knowledge. His contact email: steveallin@hempbuilding.com

Building a 'Green Building' in Small Scale

By T. Jayaraman

The Concept There is a lot of talk about Green Buildings, meaning that both during and after construction, the building promotes environmental cleanliness.

There is also a national building code for ensuring energy conservation in buildings. Yet, the green building awards (by TERI and CII's Godrej green building award) and the building code ignore the small sector. Probably it is due to the belief that making a building green is expensive, or due to the increased number and variation in smaller buildings.

When SECO decided to have its own building, it was decided to have the most energy efficient and environmental friendly building, at an affordable cost for small building.

The Commitment It was decided that each feature of the building would be green. It was also decided that each concept used in the building has to be done at a cost, which is comparable or less than the conventional construction.

It was also decided that the operation

and maintenance should require low skills, and no specialised knowledge /equipments. The materials used should also be environmental- friendly, based on local availability.

The Design The approach to the design was split into keeping the building cool    

Lighting Water usage Use of environment- friendly materials Keeping the building cool

Initially, it was decided that an architect would be approached however, the few architects who were willing to work on the low-cost building, were not keen on a small assignment. So we decided to use internal skills and specific expertise for structural design, etc., where required.

Being a long plot of approx. 12 m by 30 m (40 ft. x100 ft.), lying north-south with the road on the south, the solar insolence was expected to be the maximum in east and west walls.

Such small plots also do not offer provision of shade trees or other shading arrangement to reduce solar radiation.

The solutions which were short listed were roof pool or roof pond. However, closing and opening of the water surface during the day and night posed operational problems. It was also felt that water evaporation may be more than acceptable. Being in Chennai, which is known for water shortages, design had to look at minimal water.

Thus, it was decided that part of the “roof pool” system, which involves the laying of vertical pipes in the exposed walls. The water in these pipes is to be exposed on the top, in trough, to enable the water to rise and evaporate and the cold water to go down to keep the walls cool. The movement of the water is to be by natural convection, no energy is to be used.

It was also important that the water does not seep through the walls and has sufficient contact with the wall material to ensure heat transfer.

As far as the roof is concerned, it was decided that if a roof can be

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waterproofed for roof pool, then the same water proofing can be used for growing a lawn.

and better ideas.  

Lighting When the building was under design, LED light design and development was already in an advanced stage.

Just as a challenge, it was decided to go in for 100% LED lighting and thus make this building the first 100% LED lit building in India, if not in the world.

It was also decided that the LED lighting would be primarily functional, and lighting levels would be kept very close to the “minimum” of the various guideline recommendations. Thus, the background light would be sufficient for people to converse, and move only the task lighting would provide the required light for the job required.

Water Usage The water available from the well in the area has 7,000 ppm and also contains chlorides. Thus, the water cannot even be used for washing/ gardening. It was hoped that continual effect of rain harvesting would eventually improve the water quality, at least to the levels garden usage.

Use of environment- friendly material The material which was not considered at all was fresh timber however, wood based materials, such as plywood and particle boards were accepted as more environment- friendly. With specific reference to Chennai, the bricks were also sought to be minimised with most of the brick kilns getting their clay with unscientific mining.

The river sand normally used for construction was also considered to be environmentally unfriendly, due to the unscientific mining. Steel was the more preferred metal, as energy requirement for Aluminium was much higher.- further, the replication depended on lower cost material.

Solutions

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At each stage of design and construction, problem was encountered, and many midway design changes were made to consider fresher





Water cooling of the walls Brick construction was not considered as no satisfactory method for ensuring good surface contact with the pipes were available.

Provision of the channels for pipes was highly labour oriented, increasing the cost.

Bricks are less preferred due to clay mining and inefficient firing.

Initially, it was decided that we can go for RCC paneling, with water tubes embedded during casting of the panels.

With this in mind, the frame construction was started and finished till the roof for the ground floor.

In the meanwhile, the sourcing of the tubes became a big problem. The chosen 15 mm tubes were not available in the market, and any increase in size would reduce the available thickness of the panels.

Finally, a pipe manufacturer was located, who was willing to extrude a special batch of these normal electrical conduits (with thin walls to reduce the cost and increase the heat transfer).

were plastic sheets over packing timber, rejected /broken trays of aerated drinks/milk, and nylon tarpaulin.

Of the above the first was the lowest cost solution, but there was a fear that plastic sheet can be punctured during normal gardening / deweeding, etc., and this would be detected only after the seepage is seen the possible damage to the steel reinforcements before the detection was considered too risky.

The nylon tarpaulin, being a woven and coated fabric, has high strength but the damage to PVC coating during gardening remained - though much better than simple plastic sheets. The next option was glass reinforced fibre the advantages were, with glass fibre, the damage is much less. If it could be done at site, the resin would penetrate all the pores of the roof slab and provide a better coating than any other known method. The glass fibre can provide additional strength against thermal cracks.

With the soil and lawn covering the FRP layer, the thermal variations would be so low, the life would be longer.

With the elimination of Experimental slabs were made, and it weathering course, the load of the soil was found that packing was not good at would be that of the conventional the bottom of the pipes. While some of weathering course. If the cost of the it would be covered when plastering, weathering course can be matched, the extremely low wall thickness of the then the lawn would be possible at tubes made the exposed areas marginal cost.

However, initially no susceptible for punctures, when contractor was willing to do FRP handling. coating on the roof at reasonable cost but working from the basics of the raw During various discussions, it was material costs and possible labour decided to try the in-situ casting of costs, it was found that it is possible to panels, instead of using pre-cast do the FRP coating for about Rs. 300 panels. This proved to be of great per Sq. metre (for old roof/ porous success, except that the pipes had to be roof the cost mayinstallation be a bit higher).

Courtesy: SolFocus A CPV at the bent around the roof beam.

Nichols If a new construction is to be made, the Farm pistachio processing facility in Hanford, California Finally, after sustained efforts, a pipes can be cast with the panels, and method and a trained labour group was the roof beam can be cast after the wall made available, and the roof has been panel for that section is complete such successfully completed the complete integral construction would also service is now available commercially enhance the structural strength for Rs. 600 per Sq. metre (Rs. 60 per enormously.

Sq.Ft.) , upto laying of the lawn.

Without lawn, the ultra-violet rays and Provision of Roof Lawn weathering would reduce the effectiveness of the FRP layer, though, Without a 100% assured water would be much better than proofing at a reasonable cost, the only conventional weathering. alternate was to have the conventional weathering course, and removable To ensure the lawn is not affected by lawn. The various options considered the excess water during the rains, a

draining arrangement is provided in the FRP, to ensure that the retained water is drained within 8 to 10 hours of the rain. The lawn eliminates the soil erosion, and the over flow does not carry the soil.

Water Treatment

residence for more than 15 years.

The water is collected in a sealed water proofed tank with compartments. The compartment is designed in such a way that the floats and solid particles are collected in the tank and only the dissolved solids are allowed to go into the treatment channel. The treatment channel is about 450 mm to 500 mm deep, with various layers, as shown in the picture. Water is not allowed to seep into the soil, by lining the channel with plastic liner, laid carefully without punctures.

As a small industry operating only during daytime, the water usage is mainly for washing and urinals.

Though urinal water, being pathogen free, can be directly used for gardening, without any harm to the The normal flowering plants which do personnel, the psychological factors not have string tap roots, which can were considered and this was rejected. the grid plastic lining. Thus, the UK's biggest solar energy farm connectsdamage to national water carrying the rich nutrients from  The used water was the anaerobic tank helps the plants segregated into two groups grow very healthily, without watering.  Water from WC and Urinals The excess water, which is without the  Water from hand and body dissolved nutrient from the anaerobic washing. tank, is allowed to re-charge the  Wash water treatment ground water at the end of the channel.

The main condition is that the tank capacity should exceed 7 days water discharge capacity, at the bottom of the channel. In case of temporary excess, some amount of natural decomposition would take place in the channel.

The wash water is first passed through mesh filer to filter out large food particles. This mesh is removable for dumping into the aerobic manure bin periodically. The filtered water is then pumped using an “open well” submersible pump to avid floating particles and foam. The water from the pump is forced thorough a pressure sand filter to the used water over head tank. This water is used for the lawn and the water wall replenishment.

Thus, there is no discharge of the grey water at all.

A liquid desiccant based fresh air cooling and drying system is in the design and prototype stage. The prototype is expected to be installed in the near future.

WC Water

Lighting

The WC water is treated by a passive method, which has been tried in the

Fresh air treatment

The LED lights, whose light is limited to a specific angle, is both an advantage

and disadvantage. This being highly efficient for task lighting, compares poorly for general lighting. To ensure better general lighting, trials were made in limited area, and once satisfied with the results, was extended to all the areas. the lessons. The first lesson was that, any such development effort drain a lot of resources in the normal business for a small industry and thus without back up, or support from NGO, Government, such experimentation would be limited to most committed individuals.

Not being a core area of business, the efforts would not be converted into business opportunity, unless architects and bodies like CII, TERI, etc., choose to recognise such efforts, and create wider awareness.

Any new concept undergoes so much change during implementation, the cost overrun can be more than 50% thus, sufficient funds are to be planned in advance to avoid time delays.

Summary How Green can a building be - the SECO building would be the one with the “LOWEST” energy consumption per Sq M., either installed or consumed (even after the proposed airconditioning is installed in future) and has “ZERO” discharge. High care is taken in selection of the construction material and also the maintenance aspect of the building. Very few large buildings can match this and that at an expense which would be for normal buildings or even less.

T. Jayaraman, (teejay), after obtaining his B.Tech. / Degree from IIT Chennai, in 1974, had concentrated on energy conservation in industries. After 15 years of carrying out energy audits in almost all industries and in different parts of India, he started SECO Controls Pvt. Ltd., presently the only high temperature oxygen analyser in India. Has published many papers on energy conservation and oxygen analysers.

He is Managing Director in SECO Controls Pvt. Ltd., and Chief Technology Officer of Prodigo Systems Pvt. Ltd. Widely travelled, he has many firsts to his credit, including 1st 100% LED home and office in 2003, Zero discharge home in 1990.

He has been associated with professional organisations like Energy and Fuel Users Association (life member and past secretary), ICPEE (Indian Council of Professionals in Energy Efficiency - Founder Director), and currently President of Indian Association of Energy Management Professionals (IAEMP). His contact email: teejay@seco-india.com

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Understanding the Performance of Green Commercial Buildings - Beyond Energy Efficiency

By Peter Newman, Karlson Hargroves and Samantha Hall

“The greening of commercial buildings around the world will play a critical role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

However, in order to move from the early adopters to the mainstream, a great deal more needs to be known about how these buildings perform, and how this performance can be e n h a n c e d ? ” Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the commercial building sector have been focused on encouraging energy demand reduction through 'greener' design, construction and operational practices, often with great success. The development of green commercial buildings has grown significantly around the world with the uptake of LEED, BREEAM and Green Star certifications. In Australia, the role of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) cannot be understated but so to the leadership shown by some key builders and NGOs, along with consultants who were able to suggest that this direction was not only environmentally responsible but presents a wise investment for a range of compelling reasons.

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The evidence so far appears to support this linkage. In 2006, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) surveyed corporate occupiers across Asia Pacific and found that 11 percent would consider paying more to occupy a green commercial building. A follow-up survey in March 2007 by JLL found that this response had risen to 64 percent. The GBCA commissioned a survey of industry stakeholders on drivers of green building practices, and the rental and value impacts of a Green Star rating. Some 45 percent of respondents indicated that tenant demand is driving the need for their organisations to implement green building practices. Two-thirds of interviewees were willing to pay more

to invest in a Green Star building.

Long-term rental growth, tenant retention, and operating cost savings, were the key drivers of market value of green buildings. Evidence is also emerging that green buildings are also bringing higher real-estate values, with an Australian study finding that buildings with high energy performance ratings had up to a 9% premium.

In recent years greener building has also been driven by a sense that it will improve the experience of occupants of the building, which is likely to improve their productivity, something with the potential to bring significant economic returns.

“However this is not to say t h a t a l l ' g re e n ' d e s i g n elements will support a productive environment for occupants; improving energy and water efficiencies won't necessarily improve, or even impact on, the occupant experience. Sometimes they can even seem to be working against one another” For example, although open plan offices can allow natural light to reach a greater number of work spaces and encourage increased interaction with colleagues and workmates, such layouts can result in distractions from noise and people passing. Another example is that efforts to improve the thermal efficiency of buildings (such as making the building envelope as airtight as possible) may conflict with efforts to ensure fresh air is circulated throughout the building - something that if considered in the design can lead to the use of innovative technologies such as heat exchangers that transfer heat from the outgoing air into the incoming air before it enters the building, a common practice in many European cities.

“Reducing energy demand in green commercial buildings in a way that encourages greater

productivity is not yet well understood as it involves a set o f c o m p l e x a n d interdependent factors” A project being undertaken in Australia by the Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (involving Curtin University and the Queensland University of Technology) is aiming to investigate these factors through a focus on the performance of, and interaction between: green design elements, indoor environmental quality, occupant experience, tenant/leasing agreements, and building management. The project is focused on responding to such questions from industry by developing a rigorous approach to better understanding the performance of green commercial buildings.

It is clear that a key aspect of encouraging green commercial building is to be able to convey to developers, owners, and lessees the full range of benefits that can flow to them. While they may be interested in the range of indirect benefits to the broader environment and society, they are most likely to be interested in the financial, functional, and other directly quantifiable benefits that accrue to them. Hence, it is important that the complexity involved in achieving reductions in energy demand in green commercial buildings in a way that supports a productive environment be unravelled. This is of significant interest as staff costs significantly outweigh energy costs in commercial buildings. Hence if building occupants will be more productive, owners may be able to lease out space at higher rents, and developers may be able to charge a premium for the purchase of the building.

The research project so far has undertaken a series of stakeholder workshops through which the following factors have been identified in analysing the performance of commercial buildings

which will encompass the potential linkages to productivity:  G r e e n d e s i g n e l e m e n t s (considering energy performance),  Indoor environmental quality (IEQ),  Occupant experience (based on occupant survey),  Tenant agreements, and  Building Management.

Figure 1 provides a stylistic framework for accounting for the various aspects that affect the buildings performance.

The framework has been informed by comprehensive research and the stakeholder engagement workshops, and employs a mixed method research approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection in addition to analysis of other available data provided by project partners.

Figure 1: The Performance Nexus (a stylistic representation of the complex and interdependent factors affecting the performance of green commercial buildings) The performance nexus is being investigated through a number of key research areas: Design Elements: Design elements include components such as HVAC

systems, lighting methods, thermal control methods, building materials, fit out and layout options.

Maintenance and upgrades to design elements can also have considerable impact on the performance of a building.

Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ): IEQ can have a significant impact on occupant health and productivity and provide key guidance as to how to improve conditions. Two sets of data will be collected in the study for comparison, firstly basic IEQ parameters that can be easily measured by a hand held device and secondly high-level IEQ parameters that require sophisticated equipment.

Occupant Experience: Measuring productivity is inherently difficult in an office environment; hence in this study occupant experience will be used to inform the level of satisfaction a person has with their working environment will often determine their ability to work effectively within that environment, undertaken through an occupant survey.

Tenant Agreements: A range of existing legal instruments can influence the performance of green commercial buildings and underpin greater energy conservation across the

full lifecycle of commercial buildings, including design, operation and management, and demolition (i.e. 'cradle to grave').

Building management: Building management practices can have a profound impact on the overall functioning of the building, impacting the indoor environment and occupant experience. Building management can include the operation of an actual Building Management System (BMS) and a facility or building manager on site responsible for the maintenance and operation of the building.

“A new wave of innovation is emerging in the building industry as the potential and low hanging fruit of energy efficiency has been explored, it is now looking at how to identify and quantify the other benefits that buildings can bring, from energy savings through to actual human productivity improvements.” vonWeizsäcker, E., Hargroves, K., Smith, M., Desha, C. and Stasinopoulos, P. (2009) Factor 5: Transforming the Global Economy through 80% Increase in Resource Productivity, Earthscan. See Chapter 2.

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Green Building Council of Australia (2008c), “The Dollars and Sense of Green Buildings 2008”;Property Council of Australia (PCA, 2009).COAG's Energy Efficiency Strategy, August 28th 2009;Armitage, L. (2009), “Thinking about the value of property from a sustainability perspective”, Australian and New Zealand Property Journal, Vol. 2, no.1, pp. 5-13; Bond S (2010) Best of the Best in Green Design: Drivers and Barriers to Sustainable Development in Australia, Sixteenth Pacific-Rim Real Estate Society Conference, Sydney, Australia 24-27 January; Bond, S. G. and Newman, P. (2010).

“Drivers and Barriers to Green Buildings in Australia”, Green

Building Council of New Zealand Seminar, Bank of New Zealand, Wellington, January 28th.

Jones Lang LaSalle (2007).

S u s t a i n a b i l i t y 1 0 1 , www.joneslanglasalle.co.nz/NR/rdon lyres/45062CCD-9362-4FED-9548 9614E5452E92/0/Sustainability1015. pdf.

N. (2011) 'Building Better Returns' A Study of the Financial Performance of Green Office Buildings in Australia, University of Western Sydney and Maastricht University.

Kato, H. (2009). "Occupier perceptions of green workplace environment: the Australian experience." Journal of corporate real estate11(3): 183.

Bond S (2010) Best of the Best in Green Design: Drivers and Barriers to Sustainable Development in Australia, Sixteenth Pacific-Rim Real Estate Society Conference, Sydney, Australia 24-27 January Newell, G., MacFarlane. J., and Kok,

Peter Newman is the Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University and Director of CUSP which has 60 PhD students working on all aspects of the green economy. Peter is on the Board of Infrastructure Australia that is funding infrastructure for the long term sustainability of Australian cities, and is a Lead Author for Transport on the IPCC. He has three recent books: 'Technologies for Climate Change Mitigation: Transport' for the UN Environment Program, 'Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change' and 'Green Urbanism Down Under' for Island Press. In 2001-3 Peter directed the production of WA's Sustainability Strategy in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, the first state sustainability strategy in the world. In 2004-5 he was a Sustainability Commissioner in Sydney advising the government on planning issues. In 2006/7 he was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Virginia Charlottesville. Peter invented the term 'automobile dependence' to describe how we have created cities where we have to drive everywhere. For 30 years since he attended Stanford University during the first oil crisis he has been warning cities about preparing for peak oil. Peter's book with Jeff Kenworthy 'Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence' was launched in the White House in 1999. He was a Councillor in the City of Fremantle from 1976-80 where he still lives.

Charlie Hargroves is a Senior Research Fellow at the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute and the co-founder and director of The Natural Edge Project (TNEP), an Australian based Sustainable Development research collaboration. Charlie and the TNEP team have developed a number of internationally renowned books on sustainable development including Cents and Sustainability and Factor Five, which ranked number 5 and 12 consecutively in the University of Cambridge 2010 Top 40 Sustainability Books.

Samantha Hall is a PhD candidate at Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute in Western Australia where her research is focused on green commercial building. Samantha has a background in carbon accounting and management with a Masters of Science majoring in Sustainability

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Management. Her contact email: sam.hall@curtin.edu.au

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) opportunities in India for Green Buildings

By G. Subramanyam

Climate change has become one of the greatest environmental threat to our planet. Global warming, rise in sea levels and floods are some of the ill effects that already started facing. To address these problems the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of Kyoto protocol flexibility mechanisms that allows industrialized countries to meet their emission reduction targets by paying for green house gas emission reduction in developed countries. Now the CDM has become popular and around 3,511 CDM projects are already registered.

addressing climate change through a market driven process of CDM. With the new concepts like star rating of buildings / ECBC / GRIHA rating / LEED Rating / IGBC Rating, more and more companies are coming forward to invest in Green Buildings.

By addressing some of the barriers like, high transaction costs and uncertainties in price of CER's (Certified Emission Reductions) one can expect more investments towards sustainable development of our beautiful planet and to make India Energy Secure and Energy Independent..

The estimated revenues under CDM would be around 26 Billion US$ and by 2030 it may touch 100 Billion US$.

India's share may be around 15%, which amounts to around Rs.5,000 Crores. In this paper, it is tried to analyze the existing investment in various projects like Non-Conventional energy, Energy efficiency, Waste heat recovery, Methane gas recovery, Reforestation, etc.

The analysis indicates the CDM project implementers are getting additional revenue of 3-4% return on investment.

By implementing renewable energy in the green buildings, these projects are eligible to get carbon credits.

Thus, CDM has become one of the additional sources of revenue for projects and increasing the financial viability for the Green Buildings.

Introduction:

India has been in the forefront of registering projects from different s ec to r s a n d h as d e mo n s t r a ted institutionalized capabilities in

Climate change has been called one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing our planet.

Scientific evidence suggests that a substantial part of the global warming that has occurred over the past 100 years can be attributed to human activities. During the past century, the Earth's average surface temperature rose by about 0.6 Deg. C and it is expected to increase by another 1.8 to 4 Deg. C by the year 2100. As per Inter governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), because of global warming the sea levels are rising by about 1 foot per century and are estimated to increase in the next century. Most islands could sink soon and may not be there for our children to see. It is not a scene from a sci-fi movie but a reality up north because the Arctic sea ice is melting unbelievably fast and NASA scientists are busy in finding the reasons for the ice decline. The recent floods and

deadly summers in the Briton and in the Europe are examples of the effect of climatic change.

Realizing the climate change problems, over a decade ago, most countries joined an international treaty the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to begin to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope up with whatever temperature increase is inevitable. Hence, in 1994, several nations came together and approved an addition to treaty, called the Kyoto Protocol (KP), which is a legally binding agreement to tackle climate change through the reduction of green house gases (GHG) emissions like Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Hydro Fluorocarbons (HFC's), etc.

As per Kyoto protocol by 2008-2012, all the industrialized countries which are a part of Annex I countries, are legally bound to reduce man-made green house gases emissions by 5.2% below their 1990 levels. These countries are the ones with quantified emission limitation or reduction commitments. The KP imposes differentiated emission reduction targets, such as 8% reduction for the European Community and 7% reduction to the United States.

Developing countries have no international obligations in the first commitment period. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of three protocol flexibility mechanisms that allows industrialized

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countries to meet their emission reduction targets by paying for green house gas emission reduction in developed countries, which are called CER's.

Annex I countries emissions: So far more than 140 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, The Annex I countries among them represent nearly 62% of the CO2 emissions. The EU's share is 24.2%, and Russia is responsible for 17.4% of the global 1990 CO2 emissions. The United States is responsible for 36.1%, the worlds largest CO2 pollutant, withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol in early 2001. In the year 1990 the GHG emissions of Annex 1 countries alone estimated to be 10,412 MMTCO2. Projected emissions in the year 2010 would be about 10,737 MMTCO2, an increase of about 3.1% in 20 years. To meet the Kyoto commitment the Annex-I countries need to reduce GHG emissions to the tune of 866 MMTCO2. Options existing for Annex-1 countries to meet this legally binding obligation include domestic mitigation measures, development of carbon sinks, trade credits from economies in transition, trade of credits from Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) projects.

The CDM was launched in November 2001, the first project was registered about three years later, and the first CERs were issued in October 2005.

CERs can be issued for verified emission reductions achieved since 1st January 2000. India signed Kyoto Protocol in December 1997 and ratified in August 2002. India had an opportunity to host the Conference of Parties (COP) 8 in October 2002.

Realizing the potential for CDM projects in India, National CDM authority was established in December 2003.

Annual Investments in CDM projects

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Based on the estimates, CDM is going to generate investments to the tune of 26 billion US$. Most of these investments are through unilateral projects; unilateral projects are those for which the project proponent in the developing country bears all costs before selling the

CERs. India is the home for most of the unilateral projects and is being implemented by all private investors followed by China, Brazil and Mexico.

It means investments of about 13 billion US$ are expected to come from private investors. The expected investments through CDM by the year 2030 would be around 100 Billion US$/year.

India's share in CDM India is the sixth largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), contributing about 1,228 MMTCO2 i.e. 2% of global emissions, which is equivalent to 1.3 tonnes per capita emissions. The largest share of 61% in India is contributed by the energy sector, followed by the

agriculture sector at 28%, industrial processes at 8%, municipal solid waste at 2% and emissions from Land Use and Land Use Change & Forestry (LULUCF) are 1%.

The electricity sector is a prime candidate for CDM projects. Electricity generation in India is largely based on coal, which is one of the largest contributors to GHG emissions. The total investment potential for CDM projects in this sector has been estimated to be about Rs. 628 billion (US$14.6 bn).

Energy efficiency improvement programs in the Indian industry could qualify as potential CDM projects on account of the environmental benefits that accrue as a result of avoided generation from fossil fuels. The possible high potential industries include Aluminium, Cement, Caustic Soda, Copper, Fertiliser, Iron and Steel, Pulp and Paper, Sugar, Textiles and Zinc. The following table gives the CDM potential in various sectors like Power, Energy efficiency, Agriculture,

Forestry, etc. The assessed potential is about 243 Million CER's.

The cumulative potential in India, till 2010 in these sectors amounts to 40 Billion US$.

The investment potential for Energy Efficiency projects in different Energy Intensive sectors amounts to Rs. 48.8 Billion or Rs.4,880 crores.

The Following table gives the break up of investment potential in various sectors.

The rate of growth in GHG emissions is more than double the world average i.e.

4.6%. Thus, India is going to be an important player in global climate change in the decades to come. Global efforts are underway to address the

threat of climate change. India is taking advantage of these efforts to address climate change and through which trying to increase direct foreign investment, technology transfer and job creation while reducing environmental impacts. If the price of carbon on an average varies between $13-$26/tonne, then corresponding CDM flows could be between $5.2-$17.4 billion/year.

India is projected to “collect� between 10 to 15% of the total global market for CDM-led investment.

Present Status of CDM Market in India: Globally already around 3,511 CDM projects are registered with the Executive Board of UNFCCC as of October 2011, and this list is increasing every day. Out of the total registered projects, China has a share of 46% (1,615) followed by India 20.85% (732) and Brazil 5.58% (196). From the present registered projects, the issued CER's amounts to 528 Million. The expected CER's from the registered

projects until 2012 would be 2700 Million. The Indian projects contribution is about 60 Million CER's / year amounting to 11.37%, whereas

the developed countries and the CER's they are going to generate from the registered projects.

China is going to have CER's of 335 million/annum with a share of 63%.

Thus, sometimes CDM is termed as China Development Mechanism, as China getting benefit of almost 6 times that of India. Following figures 1 & 2 give the share of registered projects by

The number of projects registered under CDM are mostly related to NonRenewable Energy (52.94%), followed by waste disposal (20.64%), Agriculture (7.71%) and followed by Energy efficiency in Industries (6.27%). In addition to 3,511 already

registered projects, another 4,000 projects are in pipeline. It is expected by 2012 about 5,000 projects would be registered under CDM.

Potential for Green Buildings in India: Green Buildings offer tangible benefits like: Energy savings: 40 50 % Water savings: 20 30 % Reduction in initial investment

In India the present status of Green Buildings is: 1,297 registered buildings under IGBC 198 certified buildings 914.33 million sq. ft. Green building footprint Green buildings, which are energy efficient, when compared to ASHRAE 90.1 2004 Standards, are eligible for getting Carbon credits under Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

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Case study of Technopolis, Kolkata: Tehnopolis, Kolkata building, which is having a an area of 425,000 Sq. ft is already registered under CDM and getting benefit of 8,448 CER's for the energy initiatives implemented under Green Building concept.

Registered CDM Projects Investment Analysis of Renewable Energy The Energy Efficiency projects has a potential to offer an average CDM benefit of 5.8% on investment, waste heat recovery 7.4%, fuel switching 10%, reforestation 1.3% and Transport 0.8%. Methane recovery projects are having a high return of 49%. The Nitrous oxide and HFC projects showed CDM return of more than 300%. The methane recovery projects, NO2 & HFC projects have highest return mainly due to their high Global warming potential, which is many times more than that of Carbon dioxide. With an investment of only around 220 USD one ton of equivalent CO2 can be mitigated by investing in CDM projects other than renewable energy with an over all benefit of 5%. On overall one can expect additional benefit of 3-4% through CDM on their investments.

This CDM additional revenue creates a healthy atmosphere to the project proponents to make the projects more viable.

Investment towards Carbon Neutral Companies According to the Chairman of GE, 22 Jeffrey Immelt, global warming is not a

moral issue any more, and is a compelling necessity. Companies like GE & HSBC are becoming Carbon Neutral companies and India is not far behind in this initiative. Software giants like, Infosys are in the process of becoming carbon neutral as a part of their corporate social responsibility.

Some of the Indian companies are going

to the extent of calculating carbon emissions by air travel performed by their executives. Such is the awareness in the corporate world in India. Some of the companies are going for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating for their Corporate Offices. Already more than 137 Green Buildings are LEED certified and another 1,000 odd buildings are under registration stage.

The envisaged investment would be around 400 Million US$ in these Buildings. All these green buildings are potential source for converting them to CDM projects.

Steps suggested to become Carbon Neutral Company Fossil fuels are consumed mostly by the organization for road transport, air travel, canteens, Diesel Generating sets, etc. Power in consumption is towards Air Conditioning, UPS, Computers, Lighting, etc. It is suggested to set a target of power savings by 5% or 10%, so that GHGs can be reduced as it may not be possible to eliminate the gases completely. GHG reduction can be achieved by developing renewable energy sources, energy efficiency or fuel switching.

Some of the projects which

may result in offsetting Carbon are: * * *

Investment in Wind Farms Investment in Hydro projects Investment in Biomass p r o j e c t s . * Investment in Biogas Projects inrural villages *Take up massive plantation of

* * * * *

plants that sequester carbon Bio-diesel Plantations like Jatropa, Pongamia, etc.

Investment in solar energy f a r m s Passive architecture or using solar panels in buildings Going for Green Energy B u i l d i n g s Steam generation through Solar Energy for Refrigeration S y s t e m s , e t c .

The estimated investment towards offsetting carbon is around US$ 300 400 per tonne of Carbon Dioxide. The investments in carbon neutral companies could be of the order of 1-1.5 Billion US$/annum in the next 5-10 years.

By Investing in abovementioned projects, one can not only become Carbon Neutral, but also achieve Energy Independence.

Barriers for Investment in CDM Most of the CDM projects currently being developed in India belong to the small-scale category of CDM projects.

Many of these may have high sustainable development benefits, but due to their smaller size they are not able to bear the high transaction costs related to project development and other steps. All the steps involved in the CDM project development involve

costs for the consultants, validation, and registration fee for the Executive Board (EB) and additional investments towards Monitoring & Verification (M&V) equipment.

The present transaction costs are around 1-2% of the CER's. Which means the consultants, the validation / verification agencies, i.e. DOE's, monitoring equipment & calibration service providers would be having a business of around 1 Billion US$/annum. The CER buyers margins in the total CDM business is not included in this.

There will be still uncertainties with respect to registration and additionality criteria. Even though the project is registered, there are several other issues involved with regard to carbon credits.

Non-delivery of the contracted volume, non-fulfillment obligations by the lender / by the buyer, etc.

Price uncertainty of the CER's in the international market are some of the risks involved in development of CDM projects.

All these costs can be recovered only after the project gets issuance of CER's and finding a suitable buyer.

Studies on transaction cost have indicated that bundling small projects

into one, or bundling project steps, may reduce the transaction cost of such projects. This creates the need for bundling organizations which can coordinate the preparation of CDM related documents, validation and registration of projects, and monitoring and verification of emissions reduction on the one hand, and also act as a single contact point for carbon buyers on the other.

Conclusion: Although India has a very low per capita consumption of energy and corresponding low GHG emissions, the expected growth rate is high at 8%.

With the Kyoto Protocol legal obligations by the developed countries, the CDM is gaining importance. Seeing additional revenue through CDM, many projects are getting registered from the developing countries. Already registered projects of 3,511 numbers with expected CER's of 11,700 million till the first implementation period of 2012 is the testimony for this popularity. Awarding of Nobel peace prize to Mr. Al Gore and IPCC shows the amount of importance given to Global Warming and Climate Change

Initiatives and their efforts.

By the end of crediting period of 2012, we may end up with a tally of 5,000 registered CDM projects, with CER's of 3-4 billion. CDM revenue to the tune of 100 billion US$ is expected by 2030.

India may have a share of 15-20 billion inflow of foreign funds through CDM alone.

Green Buildings, which are energy efficient, when compared to ASHRAE 90.1 2004 Standards, are eligible for getting Carbon credits under Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Developing countries like India are well prepared to handle this increased level of interest in emission reduction projects and will be the early winners as countries press to meet their first commitment deadlines of 2008-2012.

Since the Kyoto Protocol deadline of 2012 fast approaching, it is time for us to react fast to realize carbon credits for our Green Buildings and join the Green Buildings Movement.

G.Subramanyam is a Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Certified Energy Auditor and also an IGBC Green Building Accredited Professional with over 22 years of proven success in undertaking Energy Conservation projects. Awarded three times Best Energy Auditor of the Year for the year 2007-08 & 200809, 2009-10... Worked with National Productivity Council for 20 years in the Energy Management Division. Currently heading Siri Exergy & Carbon Advisory Services (P) Ltd., Hyderabad. Presently overseeing Energy Efficiency, Project Development & Registration of CDM projects with UNFCCC & capacity building. Expertise in energy management, project management, financing and implementation of energy efficiency projects under ESCO model, as well as policy analysis. Distinction of winning Rs.56,000/- cash prizes for contributing to Technical writing on various issues related to Energy Efficiency & CDM through the website www.energymanagertraining.com so far. One of Finalists in the Demonstration Marketplace 2006 Global contest of The World Bank.� His contact E-mail:subramanyam@siriexergy.com

Our planet is mostly water, so it makes sense to develop technologies using water as a source of power. Hydropower has been used by humans for centuries, and is currently used to generate more electricity than any other renewable energy source. Hydro-energy technologies use rivers, tides, waves, and currents.

23

Energy-Efficient Architecture

By Archana Chaudhary

The world energy scenario shows that buildings and construction consumes the major share of the global energy.

five climatic regions:

The last few years have brought a revolutionary change in people's

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Composite Region Hot & Dry Region Warm & Humid Region Moderate Region Cold & Cloudy Region(Cold and Sunny Region also )

It can be noted here that each climatic region has its own design considerations.

1.

Composite Region:

Characteristics: . Very hot and dry summer, followed by a humid season with monsoon rains.

There is a close connection between today's building designs and the increasing energy crisis, which is rising day by day. However, comfort can also be achieved with less consumption of energy.

Thus, introduction of sustainable building design measures can make an important contribution to minimize the energy crisis. Building can be designed on passive heating (direct/indirect heat gain, etc) and cooling (ventilation, wind tower, etc) concepts.

The main objective of a climate sensitive approach is to provide a high standard of comfort quality, which also results in energy saving with environmental benefits. The present world energy scenario shows that over 50% of commercial energy is used in building construction, maintenance and operation.

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Introduction: The consumption of resources, such as fossil-based energy, is continuously rising, just like the demand for energybased comfort. Energy conservation requires serious consideration.

attitude about conservation. At last, mankind has awakened to the contemporary problems of the global environment and the oil crisis.

Construction industry being one of the mammoth consumers of energy, it is time that we give a serious thought to the way we erect our buildings. India is on the threshold of stepping into a new era of development.

The effect can be seen in the field of architecture also.

So, energy- efficient architecture is the path to be adopted.

For designing any energy-efficient building, climate of a place plays a very important part.

Hence the climatic parameters of India should be taken into account for designing energy efficient buildings.

C L I M A T I C REGIONS OF INDIA: India is divided into

Design considerations for Composite Region: BUILDINGS SHOULD RESIST HEAT GAIN IN SUMMER AND RESIST HEAT LOSS IN WINTER. Measures: • Orient the buildings with

5

2

1

34

• • •

•

•

longer axes in the east-west direction.

Roof insulation and wall insulation.

Thicker walls (cavity wall).

Ensure adequate shading on the south side to cut off direct solar radiation during summers and permit winter sun.

Avoid externally reflected light from ground and other external surfaces. Prefer internally reflected light

using light shelves or windows at a high level.

Ensure surface reflectivity.

PROMOTE HEAT LOSS IN SUMMER/ MONSOON. Measures: • Courtyards/ wind towers/ arrangement of openings.

• Trees and water ponds for evaporative cooling.

• Light outer colour and glazed china mosaic tiles on roof top, etc.

Design considerations for daylighting in Composite Region:  Area of the openings should be determined by the duration of the predominant season in this climate.  As compact internal planning in the form of courtyard type (to reduce exposure of external surfaces to solar radiation) with large projecting eaves and wide verandahs is preferable for this climate type, prevent windows

from solar glare.  High-level windows (with the sill above eye level) or light shelves that would admit reflected light towards the ceiling are preferable.  Low level window openings towards the verandahs or courtyard are acceptable.  Light-coloured reflective c e i l i n g either spectral or mirrored for well diffused interior lighting is preferred.

2.

Hot and Dry Region :

Characteristics: . Very high daytime temperatures, with very little precipitation and a short and mild winter.

Design considerations for Hot and Dry Region: RESIST HEAT GAIN Measures: • Proper orientation decreases exposed surface area.

• Increase thermal resistance by insulating the building envelope.

• Increase thermal capacity (Time lag) by cavity walls etc.

• Increase buffer spaces.

• Decrease air exchange rate (ventilation during day-time) by scheduling air changes.

• Increase shading by overhangs, “chhajjas”.

• Increase surface reflectivity by providing light coloured finish.

PROMOTE HEAT LOSS Measures: • Provide ventilation by windows and exhausts.

• Increase air exchange rate (ventilation during night-time) by courtyards, wind towers and arrangement of windows.

• Increase humidity levels by trees, water bodies and evaporative cooling.

Design considerations for daylighting in Hot and Dry Region: Measures:  Smaller openings that are efficiently shaded.  Building with compact internal planning having courtyard, with dense grouping so that the east and west walls are mutually shaded.  High-level windows (with a sill above the eye level) or light shelves, which would admit

25

reflected light to the interior.  Low-level windows are acceptable if they open towards a shaded and planted courtyard.  Vertical strip windows at the corner of the room to avoid excessive brightness and provide a light 'wash' on the walls.

verandahs.  Window sill should be reflective or carefully planned wall sections for deep and splayed reveals, as walls tend to have typical lightweight construction in t h i s c l i m a t e .

4. Moderate Region 3. Warm and Humid Region Characteristics: . High humidity, strong sun, glare from the sky and horizon characterize this climate.

Design considerations for Warm and Humid Region: RESIST HEAT GAIN Measures: • Decrease exposed surface area by proper orientation and shape of the building.

• Increase thermal resistance by roof and wall insulation.

• Increase buffer spaces by providing balconies and verandahs.

• Increase shading of walls and glazing by overhangs, fins, etc.

• Increase surface reflectivity by light coloured surfaces and broken china mosaic tiles on roof top.

PROMOTE HEAT LOSS Measures: • Proper ventilation through windows and exhausts.

• Increase air exchange rate (ventilation throughout the day) by ventilated roof construction. Courtyards, wind towers and arrangement of openings.

• Decrease humidity levels by dehumidifiers/ desiccant cooling.

Design considerations for day-lighting for Warm and Humid Region: Measures:

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 Larger openings facilitate in ventilation with large overhangs, wide over hanging eaves, or other shading devices by cutting off solar radiation.  Specially-designed louver systems permit view of the sky and ground near the horizon only.  Elongated plan with windows opening towards verandahs or galleries.  High-level windows (with sill above eye level) light shelves that would admit reflected light to the interior.  Low-level windows are acceptable, as shading of all vertical surfaces is beneficial provided they are well shaded with broad overhanging eaves or open towards

Characteristics: . Generally comfortable, neither too hot, nor too cold.

Design considerations for Moderate Region: RESIST HEAT GAIN Measures: • Decrease exposed surface area by orientation and shape of the building.

• Increase thermal resistance by providing roof insulation and east and west wall insulation.

• Increase shading on east and west walls by overhangs, fins and trees.

• Increase surface reflectivity by using light coloured textures.

PROMOTE HEAT LOSS Measures: • Promote ventilation by locating windows properly.

• Increase air exchange rate (ventilation) with the help of courtyards and arrangement of openings.

5. Cold & Cloudy Region: Characteristics: . Very little precipitation and the temperatures vary greatly between the day and night and also from summer to winter.

Design considerations for Cold & Cloudy Region: RESIST HEAT LOSS Measures: • Decrease exposed surface area by careful orientation and shape of building. Trees also help to create wind barriers.

• Increase thermal resistance by wall and roof insulation and double glazing.

• Increase thermal capacity (Time lag) by providing thicker walls.

• Increase buffer spaces by providing air locks and lobbies.

• Decrease air exchange rate.

• Increase surface absorptivity by providing darker colours inside as well as outside.

PROMOTE HEAT GAIN Measures: • Reduce shading on walls and glazed portions.

• Utilize heat from appliances.

• Trapping heat by providing thermal storage mass like Trombe wall, mass wall, etc.

Design considerations for daylighting in Cold & Cloudy Region: Measures:  Ensure openings to admit solar and retain it.  Integrate active/passive solar strategies such as sunspace and solarium with day-lighting strategies.  Top lighting strategies such as skylightsdomed or pyramid shapedwith baffles to control glare are more efficient; glazing area should be 3 % -9% of the floor area to provide adequate lighting levels.  Light wells or atria with light coloured walls and other specifications as discussed in the respective sections on them.  Use clerestories and monitors with glazing that face north or south.

Conclusion: There is a fashion now-a-days to use extensive glass and Aluminium Claddings on buildings which are located in places like New Delhi or Gurgaon.

As a result they are working as furnaces in summers and consume huge energy to keep them cool. It is totally wrong.

If proper care is taken to design our buildings according to the climatic conditions of the respective regions, it can not only save precious energy but also can contribute in saving the environment.

References: [1] Architecture+ Design MayJune 1992. (Ed) Energy Conscious Architecture, Vol. IX No3.

[2] Climatic Data for Design of Buildings, 1958 Bombay Region, National Buildings Organization, New Delhi [3] Gupta V. 1984. (Ed) Energy and Habitat, Wiley Eastern Ltd., New Delhi

[4] Koenigsberger O. H., Ingersoll T.G., Mayhew A. And Szokolay S.V., 1975. (Ed)Manual of Tropical Housing and Building, Part 1 Climatic Design, Orient Longman, Madras.

[5] Krishnan A., Agnihotri, M.R. J a i n , K . , Te w a r i P. a n d Rajagopalan M. 1995. (Compiled) Climatically Responsive Energy Efficient Architecture- A Design Handbook (Vol.II), School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.

[6] Misra A. and Kumar P., 1995.

(Ed) Energy Efficient Lighting and Day-lighting in Buildings-A primer, Tata Energy Research Institute Report.

[7] Mili Majumdar, 2001. (Ed) Energy-efficient buildings in India- Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) [ 8 ] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_ of_energy_efficient_buildings_in _India

Archana Chaudhary, Architect-Planner, Housing Board Haryana, has vast and varied experience spanning over 20 years in the area of architecture, planning and architectural education. Ms. Chaudhary has the distinction of serving various state agencies in various capacities including College of Architecture, Dept of Architecture, Punjab besides Housing Board Haryana.

Ms. Chaudhary is a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), an Associate of Institute of Town Planners (India) and Institute of Interior Designers, India. She is a Life Member of Solar Energy Society of India and Environmental Planning Unit, India. She is Jt. Hon Secretary of IIA Chandigarh Punjab Chapter and Member of Publication Board of Journal of IIA for the terms 2010-12. She was an executive Member of IIA also.

Graduated as a Gold Medalist from Chandigarh College of Architecture, she did Masters in History of Fine Arts and in Town Planning. She also did Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Education.

She received Energy Efficient Runners-Up Award, 2010 from Punjab Government; A. R. Prabhawalkar Award, Sarita Chadha Memorial Award and University Medal. She has also won Green Quotient Award, 2011by Glazette on the occasion of world Habitat Day. She has numerous projects to her credit. One of Group Housing Projects at Gurgaon has recently won Best Concrete Structure Award, 2011 by the Indian Concrete Institute and Ultratech. Her projects have been exhibited at various occasions like ArchiFest 2011 organised by Singapore Institute of Architects, Singapore in October, 2011. Chaudhary was invited by Southern Polytechnic State University, Georgia (USA); Assuit University, Assuit (Egypt) and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka (Bangladesh) to deliver lectures on Chandigarh, Architecture and Sustainability. Her contact email: dhingraarchana@yahoo.com

27

How to Build a Greener City?

By Totty environmental solution instead of part of the problem?

The question isn't an idle one.

Urban populations around the world are expected to soar in the next 20 years, to five billion from more than three billion today. If the current rate of urbanization holds steady, cities will account for nearly threequarters of the world's energy demand by 2030. Most of the increase will come in rapidly developing countries like China and India; China's cities alone will have to deliver water, housing, transportation and other services to 400 million additional urban dwellers by 2030.

“It wasn't long ago that the idea of using "green" and "city" in the same sentence seemed absurd. Cities were

c o n s i d e re d a b l i g h t o n t h e environment: energy-hogging, pollution-spewing, garbageproducing environmental hellholes.

But in recent years, they've begun to be seen as models of green virtue.

City dwellers tend to walk more and drive less than their suburban counterparts, and dense urban development encourages transit use.

Apartment living generally means lower per-household energy use�

28 C a n

cities be part of the

So, cities aren't going to have been made a little greener; they're going to have to be rethought from the ground up. The goal: compact living environments that require fewer

resources and that get the most out of the land, water and energy they do use.

"There's going to have to be new forms of energy, new ways of delivering energy and new forms of infrastructure," says Warren Karlenzig, president of Common Current, a consulting firm on sustainable cities based in San Anselmo, Calif. "All this will be necessary to allow cities to operate the way they do now."

Building on these strengths, planners

and developers are devising innovative solutions to meet urbanites' energy, water, transportation and sanitation needs well into the future.

Some improvements are fairly easy, such as switching to energy-efficient LED lighting in buildings and streetlights, or setting aside bike lanes and widening sidewalks to encourage alternatives to driving (although such moves aren't without political hazards, as a recent battle over bike lanes in New York shows). Others are more ambitious, requiring new construction or even an extensive rebuilding of city infrastructureconsider what is needed to add a second set of pipes for a waterreuse system.

Some of the most ambitious projectsand the greatest source of innovative ideasare the dozens of "ecocity" developments in the works or on drawing boards around the world.

Projects like the Songdo International Business District near Incheon, South Korea, are testing grounds for the latest in green technologies.

But green initiatives aren't just found on blueprints for new cities. Chicago, for example, has about 350 green-roof projects covering more than 4.5 million square feet. Of course, many of these initiatives can be expensive, with high up-front costs. Urban planners say savings from lower energy bills and other operational efficiencies can more than cover the added expenses, but the break-even point can be years out. Still, citiesunlike the average homeowner considering rooftop solar panelscan take a long view and make investments with a decades-long payback.

So, how can citiesold or newtake green to a new level? Here's a look at some of the ways.District Heating In a typical office building, heating and cooling account for nearly two-thirds of total energy use. So an alternative to traditional electricity or natural-gas HVAC systems can go a long way toward making cities greener. One solution: tapping the excess heat produced by nearby utilities or industry. A network of pipes distributes

they can generate a large share of a building's energy needs, especially when the structure is equipped with a full set of energy-saving features.

Micro wind turbine A handful of companies provide micro wind systems around the world, and the devices, while more expensive per kilowatt than bigger systems, have been installed at scores of locations, including PepsiCo Inc.'s Chicago office building.

scale, and current technology generally requires a large "drop," or change in elevation to produce much powerthough companies are working on lower-flow hydro turbines that can work in more level settings.

Walking and Biking When it comes to transportation, dense urban areas like Manhattan already have an advantage over suburbs: By packing people, jobs and services close together, they reduce the need for many car trips and provide the density to support bus and transit services. Green-city planners do even more, designing streets so that walking is safe, convenient and interestingwith wide sidewalks, landscaping and abundant crosswalksand providing separate designated bicycle lanes.

Songdo's 1,500 acres are designed so that most shops, parks and transit stops can be reached in less than a 15-minute walk, and the city also has a 15-mile network of bike lanes.

The 5th Edition of World Future Energy Summit 2012, Abu Dhabi, January 16-19, 2012

By Staff Writer

the heat, which can be used for hot water, space heating and in absorption chillers to provide air conditioning in the summer.

These district heating systems are considerably more efficientcapturing up to 90% of the available energythan in-building boilers. And they can tap any number of heat sources, including high-efficiency natural-gas turbines, large-scale solar thermal systems, biomass incinerators or furnaces in a steel mill. Common in Europe, highefficiency district heating systems are being used in South Korea's Songdo IBD and are in the plans for other ecocity developments.

Micro Wind Turbines: The giant windmills that dot the countryside aren't suitable for cities, where vibrations can rattle windows and the noise would be annoying. So developers are turning to microturbines. These small generators sit atop commercial or residential buildings and are designed to take advantage of the quirks of big-city wind patternslots of turbulence and frequent, sudden shifts in direction. The turbines are generally small, rated at one to three kilowatts each. But when installed in arrays and combined with high-efficiency solar panels,

Pumped Hydro Storage/Micro Hydropower Wind and solar power are notoriously fickle, producing more power than needed at some times and less than needed at others. A city that wants to rely on such intermittent sources needs to find a way to bank that power. One technique: pumped hydroelectric storage. When wind or solar power is plentiful, electricity is used to pump water to an upper reservoir; later, when power is needed, the water is allowed to flow downhill, turning turbines in the process. (The lakes have the added benefit as open-space landscaping.)

Large-scale pumped-hydro systems are increasingly used for storing energy, and many isolated towns rely on smallscale micro hydro plants to generate electricity. Adding a pumped-storage capability isn't technically difficult, but it's expensive, especially on a small

Cycling Personal Rapid Transit Not every urban trip can be made on foot, bicycle or public transit. Cities can encourage greener auto choices by providing electric-vehicle charging stations in parking garages. A futuristic solution: personal rapid transit, or PRTpod-like, self-powered vehicles that can carry as many as six passengers. The vehicles can travel along dedicated roadways, like an automated airport transit system, or on streets equipped with buried magnets.

Pod Cars There are no fixed schedules or routes; passengers pick their destinations, and a central computer guides the car without intermediate stops. Although still a novelty, P RTs a r e o p e r a t i n g a t Heathrow International Airport near London and at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Masdar City, an eco-city development in Abu Dhabi. Masdar, however, has put on hold plans to deploy the pod cars throughout the entire planned two-square-mile development.

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Pneumatic Garbage Collection: Even the greenest cities produce lots of garbage, which creates two problems:

and other recyclable trash. The systems are used in scores of cities world-wide; a pneumatic trash-collection system on

common in Europe, the technology is just being deployed in the U.S. for handling municipal garbage.

High-temperature plasma-arc gasifiers can consume nearly the entire waste stream, making a synthetic gas that is burned to produce electricity; the leftover slag can be used in building materials. One novel approach under consideration by the PlanIT Valley project, an eco-city development planned for northern Portugal: Aluminum cans are processed with water and energy, producing aluminum oxide and hydrogen, which can then be used to power fuel cells. But because aluminum oxide requires tremendous energy to make aluminum, it may be more economically feasible just to recycle aluminum containers.

collecting the trash and getting rid of it.

On the collection side, a centralized waste system, using an underground network of pneumatic tubes, can replace the fleets of trucks that block traffic, tear up streets and burn fossil fuels.

The tubes can collect garbage from both households and outdoor trash bins and carry it to a centralized collection and sorting facility. Though some systems handle only food waste, others are set up to handle separate streams for paper

New York's Roosevelt Island has been in operation since 1975.

Waste to Resources Getting to zero waste is as important to cities as getting to zero carbon. This doesn't mean just encouraging residents to recyclecities also can deploy technologies to tap the energy and other valuable resources buried in the trash. Advanced anaerobic digesters process organic garbage waste and the sludge left over from treating wastewater to produce biogas, which can be burned for energy; more

Green Roofs Rooftops, which take up a fifth of urban surface area, can be used to support solar panels or wind turbines, but they're otherwise underutilized.

Covering the tops of buildings with grasses, shrubs and other plants can deliver a host of benefits. Though often more costly than traditional coverings, green roofs can provide insulation and trim a building's heating and cooling needs. They absorb rainwater, reducing the load on storm-water systems, and filter what water does run off so it can be used for many domestic needs. They also filter air pollutants.

(Source: The Wall Street Journal - Mr. Totty is a news editor for The Journal Report in San Francisco. He can be reached at michael.totty@wsj.com)

Solar energy is created by harnessing the sun's heat and light. Solar power may be used to heat your home and your water, to cook food, and to generate electricity.

30

Hydrogen Fuel of the Future?

Hydrogen, from tap water, could become the Forever fuel of the future, generating power for homes, industry, and cars.

By Darshan Goswami, M.S., P.E. using a thermal or electrolytic process. People can even produce it in their homes with relatively simple apparatus.

The 'Hydrogen Economy' is the term used to mark the shift from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas to hydrogen.

The vision of a Hydrogen Economy is one of an unlimited source of fuel that would be used to generate energy without releasing carbon and other pollutants into the air.

A new day is dawning for a revolutionary way to generate electric power from renewable energy sources.

Imagine a future where the electrical power needed to run your computer, TV and DVD is generated from a small appliance about the size of a dishwasher located in your home.

Envision generating electricity without combustion, and producing heat and pure drinking water as byproducts.

Picture a world powered almost entirely by an infinitely abundant and totally clean fuel. Hydrogen, the most common element in the universe, is that fuel, which can be produced from tap water to generate power for homes and cars.

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Imagine being able to drive your car more than 500 miles between fill-ups.

The car you drive could become a “power station on wheels” producing about 30 to 50 kilowatts of electricity.

At work the parked car in the parking lot could be making money for you by supplying energy to the power grid

during peak hours. The same fuel cells in the car parked in your garage could provide power for your home use.

In the new age of hydrogen, each individual could become the producer as well as the consumer o f e n e rg y.

Automobile, oil, and utility companies are s p e n d i n g billions to make this dream come true.

Renewable Energy Source Hydrogen is “a renewable, versatile, simple sustainable domestic energy” and there is no danger of running out of hydrogen because it is the most abundant element in the universe.

Hydrogen can be produced through a thermal, electrolytic, or photolytic process from fossil fuels, biomass, or water. Renewable and nuclear systems can produce hydrogen from water

Hydrogen has the potential to do for the energy revolution what the computer and the Internet have done for the information revolution. Fuel cells are considered the “microchip of the hydrogen age,” the key to abundant energy from secure, renewable resources. Ultimately, fuel cells supplying homes, businesses, and industries could be linked to a

national power grid allowing surplus power at one location to be transferred to areas experiencing power shortages.

Hydrocarbon Economy Today, we have a “hydrocarbon economy” but the transition toward a “Hydrogen Economy” has already begun. In the very near future we will have weaned ourselves from carbon and we will live in a “Hydrogen Economy” powered by hydrogen energy from renewable resources. You

will have access to hydrogen energy to the same extent that they now have access to petroleum, natural gas, and electric power.

Some cities, such as Chicago and

Vancouver, already have buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Ford, GM, BMW, Toyota, and Honda have prototype cars powered by hydrogen. Ford chairman William Clay Ford Jr. has declared that the fuel cell will “finally end the 100year reign of the internal-combustion engine.” Such efforts are leading the world toward the “Hydrogen Economy.”

The present fossil fuel economy has created significant environmental problems worldwide. The Hydrogen Economy promises to eliminate all of the problems created by the fossil fuel economy. The advantages of the Hydrogen Economy include greater fuel efficiency, elimination of pollution caused by fossil fuels, elimination of greenhouse gases, and elimination of economic dependence on Middle East oil reserves.

Good for Developing Countries Specifically, the Hydrogen Economy may be even more beneficial to developing countries because it will generate more economic opportunities, reduce poverty and offer a dramatically cleaner renewable resource to bypass at least part of the expense of building a fossil

fuel infrastructure.

The Hydrogen Economy could produce total decentralization of the global energy market controlled by giant oil companies and utilities, and result in vast redistribution of wealth and power. In a H y d r o g e n Economy utility companies will become obsolete.

The Hydrogen E c o n o m i c revolution must overcome major challenges in regard to the safe production, storage and transportation of hydrogen, and in developing new sensor technology.

“World Hydrogen Energy Roadmap” must be developed to address hydrogen production, delivery and transportation, storage, conversion, public-private partnerships, research, codes and standards, testing, public education, and end-use products. This effort must include government, industry, universities, and research laboratories.

Government subsidies and tax incentives could be used to encourage put the Hydrogen Economy on a fast track. The goal of the program should be to develop technologies to safely produce, store and transport hydrogen from water, nature's abundant and virtually free source of hydrogen.

New Energy Revolution Hydrogen has the potential to do for the energy revolution what the computer and the Internet have done for the information revolution. Global reliance on Middle East oil will come to an end and international trade balances will be realigned. Fuel cells are a “critical technology” that will bring a total revolution in the energy

sector and change the course of history. President Bush has referred to fuel cells as the “wave of the future” and called for a “focused effort to bring fuel cells to market.”

The ultimate goal is to use the renewable energy of the Sun to split water into its basic components of oxygen and hydrogen.

The Hydrogen Economy would open the doors for fundamental changes in our economic, political, and social institutions, similar to the impact of steam power at the beginning of the “Industrial Age.” The giant oil companies are investing heavily in a hydrogen future to control the design, production, and sales of the devices that produce and consume hydrogen.

Fuel companies like Shell, BP, and Texaco are forming hydrogen and fuel cell technology divisions.

The Hydrogen Economy is a bright vision for the future of energy that will revolutionize the world by reducing our reliance for oil from Middle Eastern countries. I envision hydrogen as the power generation fuel of the future that will wean the world away from oil, slow global warming, and lift billions out of poverty. If significant progress is desired, government and private partnerships must be established to concentrate development efforts. A “Manhattan Hydrogen Project” is needed to ensure the Hydrogen Economy vision becomes a reality soon.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and are not intended to represent the views or policies of the United States Department of Energy. The article was not prepared as part of the writer's official duties at the United States Department of Energy).

Darshan Goswami has over 35 years of experience in the energy field. He is presently working for the United States Department of Energy (DoE) as a Project Manager in Pittsburgh, PA., USA. He retired as Chief of Energy Forecasting and Renewable Energy from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, DC. Earlier, he worked for 30 years at Duquesne Light Company, an electric utility company in Pittsburgh, PA., USA. He is a registered Professional Electrical Engineer with a passion and commitment to promote, develop and deploy Renewable/Green Energy Resources and the Hydrogen Economy. His contact email: dlgoswami@hotmail.com

33

Reducing Solar PV Installation Costs: Interview with Eric Peeters, Dow Corning’s Vice President

By Dr. Chandra Shekhar

In October 2011 in Dallas, Texas, USA, about 21,000 industry attendees from more than 100 countries attended the Solar Power International 2011 conference. An astounding 1,200 exhibits, occupying over 100,000 sq.m. of space, showcased the latest products ranging from cables, fixtures, and hardware made by small start-ups all the way to the most advanced panels, inverters, and tracking systems manufactured by industry giants such as Sharp, SunTech, and Trina.

After spending three days checking out the exhibits, my briefcase bulged with the literature I had collected while my legs hurt from walking from one booth to another. I had gone to this conference to get an idea of what is "hot" in solar, and I got far more than I had bargained for! Despite my best efforts, I ended up visiting only a tiny fraction of the exhibits at this conference. One of these was that of Dow Corning, a multinational giant known traditionally for silicon-based products, but now a major player in solar power. In a brief conversation with me, the company's Vice President for Clean Energy Mr. Eric Peeters shares his ideas on the solar industry.

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CS: What is the outlook for the solar power industry?

EP: It's actually quite an exciting time in the solar industry right now.

The goal of the solar industry is actually very simple: reduce the cost of the energy produced by solar panels so that it can be a mainstream energy solution. We are going down that path very fast -- over the past two years the cost of solar panels has actually fallen by half. We

are now in a position where for the first time in history we start seeing an economic demand for solar. It no longer needs heavy subsidies and is very close to achieving the grid parity that everyone is talking about.

CS: Could you describe your company's role in the PV module industry?

EP: Everything we do at Dow Corning is based on silicon chemistry, which has a unique fit for the solar PV market. It is unique for two reasons. First of all, silicon or polysilicon is a material for semiconductors, the type of material needed to make a PV cell. It's around polysilicon technology that most of the economy of scale has been achieved during the past few years -- that's where the costs have gone down the fastest. So clearly the kind of crystalline silicon technology that is now more than 80% of the market is here to stay. Siliconbased materials such as silicones are very good for module encapsulation.

We're talking about a very difficult application here, because the solar panel is an electrical device that's going to be outside for 25 years or more, exposed to wind, rain, hail, frost, and a lot of UV as well. Silicones are great for this because they are UV stable, they provide protection against moisture, can handle all kinds of environmental conditions.

These are part of a broader innovation portfolio at Dow Corning is working on. We are active all the way from feedstock to materials used in cell manufacturing, such as precursors for the various layers that need to be deposited. Then we are very active at the module level, things such as bonding materials, sealants etc. Finally, we are very very active on the downstream installation side.

Everything we work on is aimed at reducing the cost per kilowatt hour.

CS: Could you describe how these technologies will bring down the cost of solar power?

EP: Let me give you one example.

Because silicones are UV stable as well as UV transparent, they allow more light to get to the cell. So if we use silicone as an encapsulant instead of the organic products that are being used now, the modular efficiency can go up by couple of percent. In addition, since silicones are UV stable, the durability is also much better. The power degradation over time is much less, and the number of kilowatt hours generated over the lifetime is increased. Together with our partners, we have also made the manufacturing more efficient. So you're not only getting more power output from the modules, you are also getting additional benefits such as ease of manufacturing, lower footprint of

we u s e a n adhesive instead of screws and bolts, and you can automate that installation as well. the factory, lower labor costs, and less energy use as well.

CS: Are there other areas for cost reduction?

EP: As far as the panel itself is concerned the cost will keep going down, we're now talking in terms of cents rather than dollars. The next challenge is installation -- the installation of a panel is now actually more expensive than the purchase cost of the panel. So now we're working on reducing the costs of the installation side.

CS: How are you accomplishing that?

EP: If you look at a solar installation today, especially a field mounted installation, one of the things that strikes someone who doesn't know the industry very well is how much structure there is: how heavy it is, how much steel is being used, how many screws, how many bolts, etc. Actually the screws and bolts make the installation more complicated, involving a lot of hardware as well as a lot of hard work. So we have developed a chemical bonding technology where

CS: How much money can that save?

EP: We estimate it to be 5-8 cents per watt.

CS: Is that a significant reduction?

EP: Yes, it is. Look at the cost breakup today: If you consider a mainstream module, it is purchased for about $1.20 to $1.40 per watt. The installation cost varies quite a bit depending on whether it's in the field or its residential, and ranges from $0.50 per watt up to $2.00 per watt. So a savings of $.05-$.08 per watt is actually quite significant.

CS: How do you see your company's global role in the solar industry?

EP: Dow Corning is a very global company. We are a US-based company with our headquarters in Michigan, but 65% of our turnover is actually outside the United States. That means that we are trying to target our applications at the actual installations and markets for solar. Just to give you a short overview: we are of course active in the US -- in Michigan and California -- but we also have activities in many other countries including Brazil, Germany, UK, Japan, China, and India. We believe that the

global footprint of Dow Corning is one of our competitive strengths, where we serve countries using local people who understand the local language and local culture, but with the backing of a global company that brings in technology developed all over the world.

CS: Are there any special challenges to working foreign markets?

EP: Of course it is challenging, because the culture is different in every country. This is true even in Western countries; for example, the culture in Italy is not same as in Germany, and they are both different from the culture in the US. The solution to that is, first of all, to invest with a long-term perspective. It takes time to build capabilities to work in a foreign country. For instance, we have been active in Asia for more than 40 years.

The second part of the solution is to work with local employees. In all the locations I talked about we hire people predominantly from those countries.

The combination of investing for the long term and hiring the right local people and having respect for their culture is really making us successful.

CS: Are you active in India?

EP: Yes, we are. Dow Corning has two locations in India: we have a head office in Mumbai and a manufacturing plant in Pune. In both those locations we have some employees specifically serving the solar market. We are really excited about the solar market in India. We think that the National Solar Mission is going to put India on the map as a major solar player.

Dr. Chandra Shekhar is a scientist and science writer based in Princeton, New Jersey. He has a doctorate in electrical engineering and a diploma in science journalism. He specializes in detailed, accurate, and balanced stories on a variety of topics ranging from life sciences to renewable energy, written in a simple and accessible style. His web page is www.SciencAndProse.com. His contact email: chandra.writer@gmail.com

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Prospects to Generate Waterspouts to Increase Hydroelectric Power

By Harry Valentine

Inventor Louis Michaud watches as a tornado-like vortex rises from a small "vortex engine" in the garage of his Sarnia home.

Michaud believes a full-scale vortex engine could be used to produce clean energy for 200,000 homes.

able to r e d u c e entropy locally, w h i l e increasing entropy on a global scale.

Thus the system can reduce the g l o b a l greenhouse effect and a i d i n moderating g l o b a l temperature.

The concept Nisargruna Biomass Plants in Kerala

Prof. Sharad P. Kale

Canadian engineer Louis Michaud of Vortex Engine has undertaken much research into producing artificial tornadoes that may drive wind turbines. Michaud based his research on the occurrence of natural tornadoes, cyclones and the counterpart, waterspouts that occur over water.

The atmospheric vortex engine has been developed and patented independently over several decades by the engineer Louis Michaud and physicist Norman Louat in Australia. A third party, Pax Scientific in the US has now announced its intention of independently investigating one form of the concept.

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The system makes use of the strong positive feedback characteristic of atmospheric vortices to utilise low grade energy resources for the purpose of power generation and climate moderation. An atmospheric vortex is an example of what Ilya Prigogine calls a dissipative structure. The vortex is

has been endorsed in principle by h i g h l y regarded experts: “…What's necessary at this point is to do proofs of concept,” says professor Kerry Emanuel, the hurricane expert at MIT. “The idea is pretty simple and elegant. My own feeling is that we ought to be pouring money into all kinds of alternative energy research. There's almost nothing to lose in trying this...”

Generating electricity and potable water through waterspouts A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnelshaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a non-supercell tornado over water. While it is often weaker than most of its land counterparts, stronger versions spawned by mesocyclones do occur. Waterspouts do not suck up water; the water seen in the main funnel cloud is actually water droplets formed by condensation. While many waterspouts form in the tropics, locations at higher latitude within

temperate zones also report waterspouts, such as Europe and the Great Lakes. Although rare, waterspouts have been observed in connection with lake-effect snow precipitation bands.

Waterspouts have a five-part life cycle: formation of a dark spot on the water surface, spiral pattern on the water surface, formation of a spray ring, development of the visible condensation funnel, and ultimately decay.

There may be potential to adapt Michaud's earlier research to coastal locations in Southern India, to generate waterspouts that may indirectly enhance hydroelectric power production and provide potable water for the human population.

Rainfall depends on the hydrological cycle, where the sun heats land and sea unevenly to cause wind. During the day, the land heats faster than the sea and warm air rises upward from land.

The movement of the air causes cooler air to move from over the sea toward land. The classical theory holds that oceanic winds pick up moisture and humidity far offshore, especially from ocean spray generated by powerful winds at sea. As well, winds pick up much moisture along coastal regions from the spray from waves that break at or near the coast and that may evaporate from the warmer land surface.

In several regions internationally, variations in surface temperature produce cyclones that sometimes occur over warm water and become waterspouts. Waterspouts have been observed to form on Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario in North America, including during winter months where the swirling wind picks up snow and is known as a snow devil. Snow devils have been observed to carry a massive volume of snow inland. Louis Michaud's research suggests that is may be possible to purposefully create the necessary conditions that would produce a swirling mass of air directly

tower and over the heated seawater, where it would pick up heat. The incoming air may also be preheated by ambient solar heat on the ground and surrounding water surface prior to flowing into the waterspout generator. Upon entering the base of the tower, the incoming air would swirl above the heated water and the thermal energy would accelerate it to higher velocity. The swirling air would create small waves on the heated seawater a produce spray of heated water that would form into a waterspout and rise to several hundred feet into the atmosphere.

Image: A waterspout above water.

The result would be the occurrence of a swirling mass of air creating a spray of seawater at specially chosen stationary locations along the oceanic coast. The swirling wind would carry the spray of seawater would to higher elevation where much of the spray would evaporate. Gravity would cause the higher salinity brine to fall back to the sea, or on to coastal land where further evaporation would result in deposits of sea salt that salt merchants may collect.

During the day, prevailing winds would carry the resulting humidity inland to higher elevations, such as coastal mountains where it may be possible to install dew fences over valleys to collect potable water.

Thermal Energy: Southern India has 2-renewable sources of thermal energy: concentrated solar thermal energy and low-grade geothermal energy. The 3rd option would be to source thermal energy from the waste heat from a seawater-cooled thermal power station

or similar. India has much low-grade geothermal energy at several coastal locations. One means by which to access low-grade geothermal energy would be to drill into the earth bedrock at an offshore island, possibly accessing deep level porous rock that may be saturated with geothermal heated seawater and be the source that drives a waterspout generator.

The construction of a waterspout generator would comprise a tower built over a pond of heated seawater, perhaps at a purposefully excavated oceanic inlet. Angled air inlets would be built into the base of the tower, to initiate the swirling movement of heated air that would rise upward from above the heated seawater. A submerged heat exchanger may be installed at the base of the generator or in the channel leading to it, where it would transfer heat into the seawater to indirectly heat the air immediately above it.

As the heated air begins to rise, replacement air would flow in through the angled air inlets at the base of the

Much of the moisture may evaporate from the swirling mass while high salinity brine may drop back to earth and surrounding water.

Prevailing winds may carry much of the humidity inland to the higher elevations found in nearby coastal mountains, where much of that humidity may either condense in the cooler air or coalesce on to purposefully installed fog fences located over valleys. Some of the humidity produced by a waterspout generator may turn to rain over the watershed regions of hydroelectric power dams and some of the water may directly serve nearby populations.

The installation of waterspout technology at various locations around Southern India's coastal regions has the potential to create very highly localized micro-climatic zones.

Microclimates created by purposefully built waterspout generators may provide water for human consumption and for hydroelectric power generation, instead of a possible drought that may otherwise occur.

India has the expertise and resources to develop specialized waterspout technology that may provide potable water to regions where water may otherwise be scarce.

Harry Valentine holds a degree in engineering and has a background in free-market economics. He has undertaken extensive research into the field of transportation energy over a period of 20-years and has published numerous technical articles on the subject. His economics commentaries have included several articles on issues that pertain to electric power generation. He lives in Canada. His e-mail: harryc@ontarioeast.net

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OPINION:

Are There Gallows for Climate Fraud?

By Alan Caruba

When you kill someone the case is never closed. The same holds when you kill the truth. No matter how long it takes, truth is defended against all the calumnies heaped on those standing against the lies and the propaganda intended to persuade onlookers.

In the end truth is its own defense.

There never was a shred of truth in the claim that humans were causing the Earth's climate to heat up by using socalled “fossil fuels” and engaging in manufacturing and other activities.

There was no dramatic “global warming” in the 1980s until the present.

38 The Earth's climate has warmed very

slightly since the end of the Little Ice Age, dated to around 1850. Five hundred years of extremely cold weather had gripped the northern hemisphere starting around 1300. The much heralded “climate change” is, in fact, measured in terms of centuries, not years. It is used by politicians who do not know what they are talking about. It is also used by charlatans, but I repeat myself.

Under the direction of the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) a massive fraud was engineered. The object was to turn carbon dioxide (CO2), a common though minor atmospheric gas, into a commodity that could be

traded in exchanges around the world that would issue “carbon credits” to utilities, industrial facilities, and others who would be required to pay for permission to produce energy and products. It was an audacious scheme.

It began with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), otherwise known as the Kyoto Protocol. It set binding targets for the reduction of CO2 by 37 industrialized nations and the European community and was adopted on December 11, 1997 and entered into force on February 16, 2005. The U.S. never signed the Protocols. They were rejected by an unanimous vote in the Senate.

It was a complete lie without any basis in science. C02 plays no role in climate change and reducing whatever amount industry and other human activities might produce would be meaningless.

Surely the people behind the scheme knew this. The IPCC charged a small clique of climate scientists to come up with “proof” that global warming was happening. In England they were located at the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit and, in America, they were led by Dr. Michael Mann working first at the University of Virginia and later at Penn State University.

Mann's research, assisted by coauthors Bradley and Hughes, was published in 1998. “Northern Hemisphere Temperatures During the Past Millennium: Inferences, Uncertainties, and Limitations” became famous for a graph that became known as the “hockey stick”.

Its sudden upward curve, intended to demonstrate a dramatic increase was based on tree ring reconstruction of climate over a thousand years.

To say it attracted attention is an understatement. It and other studies produced by the IPCC clique became the cornerstone of the “global warming” hoax. The problem for Dr. Mann was that Steve McIntyre, a Canadian mathematician in Toronto, along with Ross McKitrick of the University of Guelph concluded it

was bogus science and published a paper in 2004 criticizing it.

In science, when a theory or hypothesis is put forward, the data supporting it is as well. Years went by before McIntyre could get access to it.

The tree ring data had been provided

by Keith Briffa of the Hadley UK Climate Research Unit. Neither Mann, nor Briffa made it available, but McIntyre was able to secure it from another source.

When he plotted all the tree ring data, not just the parts cherry-picked by Mann, the “hockey stick” disappeared.

Flash forward to a freedom of information (FOI) request by Chris Horner on behalf of American Tradition Institute's Environmental Law Center. Despite stonewalling for years, Mann's former employer, the University of Virginia complied in May 2011, agreeing to release Mann's computer files containing the data he had kept hidden for more than a decade.

Serendipitously, a similar FOI issued to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has revealed the level of financial gain received by another key player in the global warming hoax, Dr. James Hansen, a longtime NASA employee and the man credited with generating the hoax with testimony before a congressional committee in 1988. He has been the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies since 1981.

It turns out that he has received, in 2010 alone, “between 236,000 and $1,232,500 in outside income”! When you add in all the awards and speech fees he has received over the years, it is a tidy sum while he exploited his taxpayer-funded position.

The agency had resisted disclosing this information for years, but as a federal employee Hansen waives privacy interests as a condition of employment.

A former government employee, Vice President Al Gore became the face and voice of the hoax, earning millions in the process.

What has the global warming cost Americans? Joanne Nova of the Science and Public Policy Institute has es timated that the U .S . government spent more than $32.5 billion on climate studies between 1989 and 2009, nor does that include about $79 billion more spent for related climate change technology research, foreign aid, and tax breaks for “green energy” (solar and wind).

For deception and thievery on that scale, one might think that gallows are being constructed for punishment, but it will likely be years more before those responsible for the global warming hoax will stand before the bar of justice, if ever.

Alan Caruba is the founder of The National Anxiety Center, a clearinghouse for information and commentary on "scare campaigns" designed to influence public opinion and policy. Begun in 1990, the Center has attracted national attention and a vast audience for Caruba's weekly commentary, "Warning Signs", posted on the Center's Internet site, www.anxietycenter.com, and excerpted widely on other sites.

A former fulltime journalist, Caruba is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, as well as the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of Science Writers. In addition, a charter member of the National Book Critics Circle, Caruba maintains www.bookviews.com, an Internet site offering news of the best new fiction and non-fiction.

These days, he writes about a broad spectrum of public issues including environmentalism, education, energy, immigration, the United Nations, and international affairs. He has authored three "pocket" guides, "The Pocket Guide to Militant Islam", "America: A Nation Without Borders", and "The United Nations Versus the United States", each available from the Internet site of The National Anxiety Center.

The CEO of The Caruba Organization (www.caruba.com), he is a veteran public relations counselor.

He can be contacted by email at acaruba@aol.com or by writing to him care of The Caruba Organization, 28 West Third Street, Suite 1321, South Orange, NJ 07079 (E-Mail: ACaruba@aol.com)

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Green Building Rating System & Case Study (LEED)

By Satish Kumar Green Building Rating System & Case Study (LEED) :Green building is specifically designed structures that reduce the overall negative impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by: *Efficiently using energy, water, land and materials *Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity *Reducing waste and pollution from each green building High-performance green buildings address life cycle from the beginning with the the end of the building's life.

sustainable development throughout the building's entire building's site selection and design all the way through to

What are the benefits of the process?

True Sustainability has three key aspects:*Economics Green building outcome produces a long-term, positive economic impact. 20-30% energy saves and 7080% water saving from any normal building. Overall excellent indoor air quality help in increase in working people health and thus increase work and company productivity *Environment - Organizations should endeavor to benefit the planet as much as possible or at least do no harm and

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curtail negative impact.

Economy

Environment

Social responsibility

*Social responsibility Improving the lives of those with whom the building interacts. The well-being of a building's workers, occupants, community member, neighbors and other stakeholder interests should be independent.

agreement with USGBC (United Trade Mark of the USGBC.

To measure the greenness of a building, different Green building rating systems has been followed in India and other countries. Currently the Green Building Rating system for this project is LEED India (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) by IGBC (Indian Green Building Council). The LEED India Rating system is administered by the IGBC under a license State Green Building Council). LEED is a Registered

Entire LEED rating system is consisting of key 6 parts:*Sustainable Site (SS) To minimize the negative impact of construction on nature. The design and construction of the project should minimally impact the site used for the construction of the project. *Water Efficiency (WE) To minimize the fresh water usage in the building. *Energy & Atmosphere (EA) To minimize the energy used in the building *Material & Resources (MR) To minimize the use of virgin material used in the project. This encourages use of recycled material and regional manufactured materials. *Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) To improve the indoor environment of the building, thereby increasing the productivity of the occupant of the project. *Innovation & Design (ID) Points here are given for exceptional innovation and achievements in the design and construction of the project.

Each of these sections has multiple points against various compliance requirements which meet the intent of the sections. These points are further broken up into:*Mandatory credit points must have to do for any green building certification *Tradable credit points carries 1 or more credit points for each of the measures taken.

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The more points we get the more greener our building becomes i.e. Platinum, Gold, Silver and Basic certification.

The Corporate Empire, Kolkatta is targeting and will achieve the Gold Certification The entire LEED India rating system is the systematic approach of achievements and compliance which covers all the important aspect of sustainability at various stage of the project i.e. pre-design, schematic design, detailed design, before construction,

during construction, commissioning stage and operation stage Related scribbles/calculations/deductions Based on the above listed 6 broad areas, the Corporate Empire project aims for following points:Sustainable Sites (SS):

In Sustainable Site (SS) 1 mandatory credit and 13 tradable points have aimed for the project Erosion and Sedimentation control is the mandatory credit whereas covered car parking, more green areas, parking for electric vehicles, storm water quantity and quality control-rainwater harvesting, light pollution reduction, mitigation of heat island effect, etc are the tradable

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points.

Key highlights of achievements here are:Car Parking is completely covered: This releases most of the area on the surface as green areas. *100% rain water harvesting: Rain water harvesting system has been design in a manner in which all the rain water throughout the year will be percolated to the subsoil without any water being let out into the drains. *More open space and landscape area been provided in the site. *All the exposed roof area will be provided with high reflective coating to prevent the heat island effect in the micro-climate. *Reduced External lighting for up-throw and throw outside the site boundary.

External Lighting Simulation: - to minimize the lighting going upside and outside the building site boundary Water Efficiency (WE) 5 tradable points have aimed for the project. Water efficient landscaping, reduction of fresh water, use of STP water in flushing, landscape and AC are the tradable points.

Key highlights of achievements here are:*Use of local plantation, drip & sprinkler irrigation to minimize the fresh water for the

landscape use. *Use of low-flow water fixtures such as closet, urinals, wash basin reduced the fresh water demand for the building.

Use of STP water for the landscaping and AC and flushing minimize the fresh water demand and help in water saving of 60-70% from any normal building.

Energy & Atmosphere 3 mandatory credit and 5 tradable points have aimed for the project. Commissioning, Energy Modeling Simulation for building & CFC free refrigerant use is the mandatory credit whereas Measurement & Verification, sub-metering etc are tradable points.

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Key highlights of achievements here are :*Commissioning is the mandatory requirement for LEED certification. According to Owner's requirement, design been developed. There will be physical site installation and performance verification of HVAC & Electrical equipments by the

Commissioning Authority for all the design parameters been met or not. *Energy Modeling Simulation is another mandatory requirement for LEED certification. The building been modeled and simulated and energy benchmarking has been done based on the International standards. Energy saving been arrived by high COP water cooled chillers, HRW, TES, low LPD fixtures, double-walled glazing, etc. *Separate Electrical meter been installed for HVAC, Electrical, equipment ach each tenant area. This will help in monitoring and verifying the design as per the Energy Modeling Simulated data Materials & Resources 1 mandatory credit and 7 tradable points have aimed for the Storage and collection of recyclable material is the mandatory credit whereas construction waste material disposal, recycled content, regional manufactured & extracted materials etc are the tradable points.

Key highlights of achievements here are :*During the building operation, a segregated bin for the recyclable waste such as plastic, paper, cardboard will be provided at the waste source and centralized separate bin will be provided at the basement. And the disposal will be done separately for recycle. *All the construction waste will be collected separately and disposed for recyclable and reuse. *To minimize the virgin materials, highly recyclable materials will be used for the project for the building construction. *To minimize the transportation cost and pollution, local manufactured and extracted materials will be used in the project. *Certified wood will be used in the project.

Indoor Air Quality 2 mandatory credit and 6 tradable points have aimed for the Indoor Air Quality & non-smoking is the mandatory credit whereas 30% extra fresh air, no-VOC content paints, adhesive, sealants, etc are the tradable points. .

Key highlights of achievements here are:*30% extra treated fresh air is provided based on the International standard for the project.

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*Use of low-VOC content adhesive, paints, sealants, certified carpets, no-urea formaldehyde composite wood materials planed for the project to improve the indoor environment. *90% of the building occupant can able to share the environment directly which will help in improve in their productivity.

The overall 40 points been aimed for Gold certification for the project.

Your role in the process of building of the structure:*Green Building Facilitation Conserve Consultants conduct the workshops for LEED credits and standards, assign the responsibility to the team for each credit, check all the LEED compliance documentation, compiles the complete submission documents and submit it to IGBC for their review. Thereafter Conserve presents and explains the whole process to the reviewer and ensure the required certification (LEED India Gold for this project) is achieved. *Energy Modeling & Daylighting Simulator this is broken in two stage SDD (Schmatic Design Development) and DDD (Detailed Design Development). Under SDD sun path analysis, location, orientation analysis, shade, solar insolation analysis, day-lighting analysis been done. All these analysis help the Architect design a better building.

Under DDD stage Energy Modeling simulation has to be done to arrive at how much energy savings the project is able to achive wr.t. to a standard benchmark which is this case is ASHRAE Standards. This process helps us taking informed decisions with respect to selection materials and equipments such as glazing, wall, roof, insulation, chillers, light fixtures etc.

Commissioning:- The commissioning process is to first understand the Owners Project Requirement (OPR) and the Design Basis (DB) for the project. Based on this, the performance of the project is checked in the end to assess if the project has met the design intent and requirements. Here the Commissioning Authority (CA) checks the water consumption, electricity consumption through lighting, air-conditioning, etc, indoor environment quality and other important metrics to ensure that the project is performing as per the design.

Geothermal technologies use heat within the Earth as a source of energy. This heat comes *Source of some extracts LEED Green Associate Study Guide and Google images in the form of hot water and steam, which can be used to generate electricity for the grid.

Geothermal heat can also be used on a smaller scale to heat and cool homes and businesses. type asof Senior energySustainability is sustainable, reliable, He is a Mechanical Engineer, currentlyThis working Engineer at Conserve clean and a domestic resource.

Consultants.

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Current Work Profile include Training and giving guidance for Green Building standards and documentation, Coordinating for Energy Modeling & Lighting Simulation and Commissioning Service. As a team he had completed / engaged for certification projects, namely, L&T Ahmednagar, Godrej waterside, Kolkata, ISB HT1-Hyderabad, Adarash Developers, Reliance Communication, Sahara Developers, Tata Steel, Ambuja Realty, Supreme Industries, GVK MIAL, Ruby Hospital, Raheja Universal Ltd., Allcargo Logistic, Lexus Motors, Donear Industries, Pasari Corporate Empire, Redco Marriott Hotel, Torrent P h a r m a c e u t i c a l , L & T F o r g i n g H a z i r a , L & T E B B Va d o d a r a , e t c .

His contact email: satish.kumar@conserveconsultants.com