As traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels become increasingly scarce and the energy demands from many modern buildings are regularly scrutinised. Building designers and engineers are now relying more on alternative energy resources, with the application of renewable energy and low carbon systems been increasingly common in the discipline of building engineering. The aim of this module is to give the student a detailed knowledge and understanding of various renewable energy and low carbon technologies applicable to buildings. It’s structured to provide the student the ethical and technical knowledge to enable for the optimal design and application of various renewable energy and low carbon technologies which are applicable in the discipline of building engineering.
a) CHP / CCHP / Stationary Fuel Cells: Building load profiles, heat & cooling demands; CHP & CCHP core components; Operational strategies; pipework integration, calculation sizing & selection; SFC – Theory & basic principles; Core components; Application, integration & sizing for building engineering systems.
b) Geothermal – Hydrothermal: (+ 70C) High temperature Liquid / Vapour dominated & ORC systems; Aquifer design, lifetime & bores hole required calculations. Ambient temperature (≤ 15C) air / water heat pumps, open & closed collector technology, system sizing, integration and design.
c) Water Conservation: Water energy demands, sustainable water systems, efficient use & reuse of water, rain water harvesting, grey water systems, sizing, integration and application into buildings.
d) Photovoltaic Energy: PV Cell / Module / Array technology, BOS, PV system types; Demand load profile sizing; Calculations for Isc, Cell temperature, Voc, FF, Max power; PV system calculations for peak power, string length, available area & battery capacity; BIPV systems, integration with buildings electrical power supply, PV/T System design.
e) Solar Thermal Energy: Nature & characteristics of solar radiation; Passive & active solar thermal collector types; Direct & indirect passive thermal systems; labyrinth preheating/cooling, energy storage systems (PCM), thermosiphon systems; Active air & liquid based solar thermal systems, design, sizing, application and integration of solar thermal energy systems in buildings.
f) Wind Energy: HAWT & VAWT core components; Calculation for Betz limit, power, torque, efficiency, TSR, RPM, angular velocity; Effect of height / topography on wind energy, micro turbines, BIWT & integration with building design.
g) Biomass Heating: Energy conversion, boiler technology, fuel storage types & sizing, thermal store / buffer vessel system sizing, fuel & ash handling systems, controls & pipework system integration.
