Renewable Energy Design Report

BUSM 4466

Sustainable Building Design Renewable Energy Design Report

03

04/06/2021

Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 4 1.

Metro Tunnel Project Overview............................................................................................................ 5

2.

State Library Station Overview ............................................................................................................. 6

3.

RMIT Renewable Project ....................................................................................................................... 6

5.

Design Proposal..................................................................................................................................... 9

6.

Project performance Analysis ............................................................................................................. 11

7.

Environmental Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 13

8.

Economic Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 14

9.

Social Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 16

10. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 17 References ................................................................................................................................................... 18

Executive Summary The Metro Tunnel project proposes an initiative to advance to complex urban sustainable development that develops a link between public and private actions and supports social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability. To implement the Metro Tunnel Project, the Victorian Government has partnered with the Cross Yarra Partnership (Project Co) under public private partnership (PPP). The Melbourne Central Business District (CBD) project co co is responsible for planning, developing, and managing the proposed Metro Tunnel Project. The project contains five subway stations, mechanical and electrical equipment. About State Library station, the Discrete Renewables Energy (RE) project is also being planned in partnership with RMIT University, Melbourne. This Renewal Energy project intends to provide an aspect of community education that provides renewable energy to 9 MWh annually. The customer requested the effective and stable operation of the so-called first renewable energy in Australia or the world. This further gives the opportunity to design (RE) that implements a unique model for RMIT students.

A proposed RE project site design is shown in the presented report. The approach includes a set of urban measurement methods and sustainable development techniques. The project is designed to achieve the sustainability objectives of the client and proposes more than required energy generation project. In addition, the design of the site revealed a highly efficient way to local traffic (pedestrians & cyclists).

BUSM 4466

Sustainable Building Design Proposal of assessment criteria for a sustainable project Assessment 3

1. Metro Tunnel Project Overview From the completion of the City Loop 30 years before, Melbourne Metro Tunnel is the major investment in the CBD rail facility. With a new end-to-end Sunshine-Dandenong line and proposed underground stations, the Metro Tunnel Project built two 9 km rail tunnels from Kensington to the South Yarra area. The five proposed underground stations are as follow: •

North Melbourne (Arden)

•

Parkville

•

State Library

•

Town Hall

•

Anzac (Domain)

The Sustainability Targets are focused on global benchmarking and consistent with quality standards with special emphasis on train networks and the highly up-to-date tools in the sector of sustainability rating.

Figure 1: Map showing the five new proposed Metro underground stations

2. State Library Station Overview State Library Station will be situated mainly below Swanston Street and connected to the central station of Melbourne. The two primary entrant points will be: at Franklin Street and at the northwest point of Swanston and La Trobe streets. Emergency accessibility and ventilation facilities will also be available on the street. The area includes important institutions and services, such as the RMIT University, Melbourne Central Station, State Library, shopping center and Melbourne City Baths. The north of the city is rapidly changing and developing more intensively. Several major residential towers have been built or approved recently. The Carlton United Breweries site is being redeveloped north of Victoria Street.

Figure 2: Picture showing the comparison between the ongoing construction (left) and proposed design (right) for the State Library station

3. RMIT Renewable Project In the west of Swanston Street, the RMIT campus continues to expand with a major proposed development (Renewal Project) on a site at A'Beckett Street. The Station increases public transit connectivity to this area of the city, encourages the efficient use of land directly and enables enough road space to be utilized, notably for walking and cycling, for sustainable transport approaches. The design criteria for RE project further incorporates the following:

• • • • •

The area of the site (RE project) should not be greater than 50 m2.

A predicted output will be 9 MWh/y from renewable energy sources.

Includes an aspect of community education.

Must comply to the goals of CYP D&C Urban Design.

Must be safe to engage with the public with budget under $50,000.

Figure 3: Renewable project site location

4. Site Analysis Conclusion On average, the site has received strong thermal energy at about 4.5 kWh/m2 a day (BOM, 2021), on average year-round and is subjected to average wind speeds of 6 km/h, during summers are presented in the findings of the preliminary site. Thus, solar and wind resources may be considered for the RE design. In contrast, analysis found that pedestrian and vehicle traffic flow will be able to provide a high level of useable energy for local use. Later, four criteria have been defined to satisfy the sustainability goals of the client's demand, and different evaluation approaches are being suggested. Based on the RE project configuration, appropriate assessment selection will be made.

Figure 4: Annual mean minimum temperature (left), Annual mean maximum temperature (right) (◦C) (BOM,2021)

Figure 5: Annual solar exposure (MJ/sqm) (BOM,2021)

Figure 6: Annual rainfall (mm) (BOM,2021) Figure 7: Annual wind speed (km/hr) (BOM,2021)

Figure 8: Site analysis for the Metro North Precinct

5. Design Proposal The committed area proposed for the renewable energy designed is 40 sq m. The concept for the proposal is evolved from the renewable sculptures where books sculpture is designed to depict the symbolic representation for the State Library Station. The aesthetically pleasing and engaging design includes the coating with photovoltaic thin film and tiny spherical balls of 1.2mm to 1.8 mm in diameter which have electrodes on parallel sides. The small silicone balls are woven in the bird's shape and rotates on its axis resulting in generation of energy by solar and wind moving these balls.

4.57m

9.1m

Figure 9: Inspirational photos for the conceptual design (left), total area proposed for the design (right)

Figure 10: Proposed sculpture for the RE project

Figure 11: Materials used in the design proposal

Kinetic Tiles

6. Project performance Analysis Aim – The renewable energy project aims to deliver 9MWh/year of renewable energy.

Materials proposed for the RE energy design: Steel - 90% recycled.

Silicone electrode Balls – 95% recycled.

Photovoltaic thin film – 79%Luminophores paint – 85% Pavegen Tiles – 89% recycled

Photovoltaic thin films A thin-solar panel consists of thin, glass, plastic or metal layers of semiconductors placed. The films are thin, usually 20 times thinner than plates. This allows the flexibility and lightweight thin film solar panels. The product can be flexible enough to form a roof form if the thin-film cells are enclosed into plastic; when the glass is applied, the thin-film panels will be harder and heavier.

Thin film has the essential advantage of the quantity of material you require. This is a straight semi-conductor bandgap (Solar-powered nudi arches, 2018). One or two millimeters are available, and you can still collect 98 percent of the daylight." (In other words, it is necessary to take the same amount of daylight as the typical photovoltaic silicone cells, wafer-thin film material). Global Solar uses a copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) technology to produce its fine-foil solar cells.

They have already provided portable field chargers for US military and outdoor enthusiasts, mostly in communications and other electronics powered by these cells (Biello n.d.). The solar thin sheet proposed in the design used 17 sheets (1.5m X 1m) of calculated the total energy generation of 6kWh annually (Solar Panel | Hansol n.d.).

Luminophores Paint When it is subjected to long-wave ultraviolet (UV) radiations, luminophores paints 'glow.' The proposed sculpture had the paint outlined on the frames which absorbs sunlight in the day and glows at night. The UV-wave lengths are found in sunshine and in many artificial lights, but a special black light is required for viewing, which is that these glowing-paints are called 'black-light effects.'

Silicone diodes to generate energy from Wind & Solar The inspiration is emerged for the woven silicone diodes from the solar technology of Japan, like the way a forest absorbs sun light from every angle of the canopy. With wildfires, drought, floods and so on, while climate change is creating increasing uncertainty worldwide, this work of art illustrates the potential of a post carbon future (Shimmering halo generator by Grimshaw Architects captures solar energy from all angles 2018). The designed birds in sculpture have

numerous tiny spherical balls of 1.2 to 1.8mm in diameter which are woven together in the frame of birds to capture every possible sunlight from the sun. These silicone balls have electrodes on opposite side of the balls which helps to harvest the energy. The annual power generation for the balls woven in the sculpture results in 3.21 MWh/annum from the solar absorption (PV Lighthouse n.d.). These balls are fitted in way that it can also revolves on its axis from the wind, thus, this makes it more efficient energy harvesting than any other solar absorption technology. The balls rotate with average annual wind speed of 6 km/h which generates 2.54 MWh energy per year.

Thus, the birds designed in the proposed sculpture generates total energy of 5.75 MWh/annum (PV Lighthouse n.d.). The energy generation calculations are considered for the sphere photovoltaic balls from Sphelar (What is Sphelar® - Technology n.d.). The module produces greater cumulative energy based on crystalline silicon balls. In practical application, the amount of incoming light cells can absorb is crucial, as is not just the photo-electric conversion efficiency. absorb sunlight better and more constantly than typical flat solar cells when capturing rays from all directions.

Figure 12: Amorphous Silicon spheres (left) and Enlarged image of the balls (right) Source: (What is Sphelar® - Technology n.d.)

Figure 13: Daytime hourly output comparison for the Sphelar photovoltaic film Vs Conventional photovoltaic panels Source: (What is Sphelar® - Technology n.d.)

Pavegen tiles Pavegen, as a further sustainable power supply for wind and solar power, may make advantage of floor space that is more accessible than roofs and generate electricity from people's movement than from sunlight (Smart tiles harness the power of footsteps | Engineers Australia n.d.). These Pavegen tiles (UK based) or Kinetic tiles generates energy when people move on it. The basic idea is to frame these tiles taking the 8m offset from the 45 sqm proposed site area as the number of pedestrians around the area are 90% per day. Around 242 tiles can be fit on the ground around the sculpture which helps to generate energy from the visitors moving around the sculpture. This further can be used to light up the education board placed around the site to promote education about the renewable energy generated by the sculpture. These tiles when calculated have the potential to generate 2.67 KWh of energy annually.

Figure 14: Image shows the utilization of the energy from the Kinetic tile

7. Environmental Analysis To model the complete life cycle of a product (be it from cradle to grave or from "cradle to cradle") and to assess its influence on the environment across the supply chain, LCA calculations will be aimed at. As a result, LCA is not a designing process but measures its influence on the environment (de Pauw, Karana & Kandachar,2013). With Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) we can examine individual building components or whole buildings' environmental impacts throughout life. This encompasses the manufacturing, transit, operational impacts, maintenance, demolition, and disposal of a construction product or building after the end of its operating life (Lamnatou et al.,2014). The amount of energy utilized to create a product is embodied energy. The more a material is typically processed, the higher it is. Lower embodied energy is helpful to the environment because it has a lesser impact on the life of a material. At all stages of the life cycle, energy use and the associated greenhouse - gas emissions can emerge. The emphasis on energy reduction in buildings has traditionally been on decreasing operational energy that takes place in the post-construction stage and in the past is considered far more crucial as decreasing embodied energy. (e.g. substituting materials such as stainless steel, which need considerable energy in materials including timber, that involve significantly less amount of energy, etc.) But it became increasingly clear that the energy incorporated in each phase of the construction cycle but concentrated first in pre-construction and building stages must be substantial.

A holistic technique for analysis of the energy use of buildings throughout the life cycle is required (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007). The research carried out by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO, 2000) on total embodied energy used at an average Australian building has shown that the use of large amounts of low unit mass materials (such as concrete) in relation to the total embodied energy can be more significant than the utilization of small amounts of mater (such as aluminum). Materials that are light in weight, recyclable, sustainable and locally available would be chosen to minimize the energy embodied by the materials used during construction and post construction (Sattary & Thorpe 2011). This means that locally sourced planting timber, recycled bricks, recycled functional wood and window frames can be extensively used. Thus, the materials used in the sculpture are locally sourced with the low embodied energy. The proposed materials have high potential of recycling and reusing if in case demolished.

The materials embodied energy are calculated in the Table 1 below where quantity of the materials is assumed for the sculpture. Also, the photovoltaic solar thin film proposed for the sculpture is highly renewable with the life span of 17-21 years minimum.

Table 1: Embodied energy calculations for the materials proposed in the sculpture Material

Embodied Energy (GJ/unit)

Quantity

Total energy for the project

Steel

82

5.06 kg/m3

415

Concrete foundation for the sculpture

5

1.85 m3

9.28

Total Embodied Energy for the proposed sculpture

424.28 GJ/m3

8. Economic Analysis The monetary assessment of alternatives to the achievement of a particular objective is formally defined as the economic analysis. For example, a decision maker can explore new buildings, refurbishing, current facilities or leasing another building to satisfy the requirement for additional commercial space. The assessment is based on a comparison over a set time of reduced benefits and costs. Alternatives may be described by the proportion of debt benefits to total costs (benefitcost ratio) or the net annual gains equivalent (net annual value) (WBDG n.d.). Economic analyses have been integral to most, if not all, Australian authorities' decision-making processes and influenced matters from environmental regulations to building design. Building possessors employ economic analysis to examine whether building alternatives are economically sensible or cost effective. Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is a sort of cost-efficiency assessment that is typical for the assessment of energy and water management methods of building projects. Life cycle costs may cover all building ownership expenses through their performance, involving design,

management and maintenance, reclamation, and demolition. Probably the most demanding component of economic analysis is to find the advantages and costs that are unquantified.

Typically, these include visual appeal, safety, environmental effect, and preservation of the history. Therefore, the cost assumptions and estimation for the elements (Australia) used in the proposal are tabulated below in the Table 2.

Table 2 Sculpture components cost breakdown & assumptions

Components

Cost in the market

Final cost for the project

Photovoltaic sheet

AUD 0.85 per Watt

AUD 3400 approx.

Silicone diode balls

AUD 0.98 per Watt

AUD 2600 approx.

Luminophores Paint

AUD 39 per kg

AUD 800 approx.

Kinetic Tiles

242 tiles

AUD 4600 approx.

(installation & buy)

Total Costs

AUD 11,400 approx.

The aim of this design proposal is to provide a general framework for a large audience that offers both energy and cost optimal performance. The objective was to analyze different scenarios of reducing energy use and estimate the economic advantages of renovation. On average the fitting, construction, welding, and installation of the sculpture will require 9 days. Therefore, the assumption and cost requirement for the designed proposal is tabulated below in the table 3. It is estimated that the total cost estimated for the design is around AUD 19,850 which is still less than the total cost proposed for the project, i.e., AUD 50,000.

Table 3: Project cost and assumptions

Component Cost

Cost in the market

Final cost for the project

Construction / Material cost

Steel AUD 75/m2

AUD 1050 approx.

Concrete Foundation AUD 60/m2

AUD 1300 approx.

Labor Charge

AUD 45/ hr.

AUD 2600 approx.

Maintenance Cost

Photovoltaic sheets need inspection after every year

AUD 2500 approx. for 17 years

Damage costs Total Costs

AUD 7450 approx.

9. Social Analysis Social performance assessment of building projects can be defined by offering information about the social aspects and improving their performance in satisfying social criteria, helping decisionmaker to decrease social impact, prevention of social risks, improved project performance, and ultimately contributing to social impacts and social performance assessment. Construction has been recognized as playing an important part in sustainable development. Developers' activities have inherent consequences (e.g., economic, environmental, and social) on society in the life cycle of construction projects. The social implications of building projects are the least explicit in the "triple bottom line" of sustainable development, when compared to economic and environmental effects. Social effects of building projects pertain to some social effects for human populations of building projects that influence how people live, work, play, relate, organise to satisfy their needs, and help understand as people in society. Building project development could have beneficial and

negative social consequences such as, for example, land sale or purchase, relocating of neighbors and depletion of resources. Social consequences could develop into social dangers under specific conditions and could lead even to social disputes among the many stakeholders if not properly and carefully handled. The social impact evaluation is widely used in the life cycle of building projects to prevent negative social effects (Xiahou et al., 2018). Therefore, the current proposal's social performance is vital to social sustainability to satisfy the requirements of existing and anticipated individuals and populations, and all stakeholders have been of great concern for increasing social performance. The idea of sustainable growth involves cost, social and environmental aspect connections. But economics and the environment have been more appreciated by social sustainability. The social successes of construction projects in the construction industry contribute not only to social sustainability but are also crucial for the success of projects. The proposed design is analyzed in aspect of the safety and aesthetic appearance for the regular visitors and neighborhoods. The project will attract local traffic and give knowledge about the renewable energy used in it. Surveys and fun activities with local public about the project which results in their thoughts about the project. The engaging design and ambient will provide a scenic, relaxing and photo booth for the visitors and neighborhood. This will not only promote the development but also generates more and more kinetic energy by the movement. The proposed design is one hundred percent safe for the pedestrians and bicycle riders.

10. Conclusion The design was developed to meet the expectations of stakeholders and provide renewable energy for innovation, security, and public space. Outdoor areas can develop a shared cultural identity, enhance the quality of city areas, and move towards a healthier community. The concept complied with all requirements for the sustainable development in the aspects of triple bottom line. The design aims to generate more than 13.87 MWh/year energy with solar, kinetic and wind energy. The total cost estimated for the project is around AUD 20,000 which includes the cost for the materials, maintenance, and installations. It covers environmental, economic, and social issues and makes Melbourne more familiar with Australia's first notion of renewable energy.

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Xiahou, X, Tang, Y, Yuan, J, Chang, T, Liu, P & Li, Q 2018, ‘Evaluating Social Performance of Construction Projects: An Empirical Study’, Sustainability, vol. 10, no. 7, p. 2329.