Comparing Different PV Module Types and Brands Under Working Conditions in the United Kingdom

The present work demonstrates the performance evaluation and economic analysis of different PV module types and brands at the working conditions of Padiham (53.5 N, 2.3 W) in the UK. The total area of PV plant was assumed to be 100 square meters. The simulations were carried out for modules installed on the roof and on the south-facing façade of a residential building. The comparison study is carried out to define the most suitable module type and brands for the considered place in the current study. The energy and economic performance of the grid-connected PV system are analyzed under the meteorological conditions of Padiham. The modules were characterized by evaluating their annual electrical energy generation and different figures of merit of the grid-connected PV systems such as the investment, annual profit, net present value, levelized cost of electricity, and the payback time. The simulations show that in this specific setup, monocrystalline modules have the best energy performance, while thin-film modules have the best economic performance

Life Cycle Assessment of Representative Swiss Road Pavements for National Roads with an Accompanying Life Cycle Cost Analysis

The subject of this paper is an environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) of processes needed to construct and maintain representative Swiss asphalt, concrete and composite pavements (including subbase layers) applicable for the Swiss national road network over a period of 75 years. The environmental indicators analyzed are the Global Warming Potential indicator, the non-renewable Cumulative Energy Demand and the Swiss Ecological Scarcity indicator. Processes of the use phase of the road (fuel consumption, noise, etc.) have been evaluated qualitatively based on intensive research. The study shows that the Global Warming Potential of concrete and asphalt pavements equilibrates over the analysis period and that concrete pavements compared to asphalt and composite pavements offer advantages in regards to the non-renewable Cumulative Energy Demand, the Ecological Scarcity Indicator and Life Cycle Costs. The qualitative evaluation of the processes of the use phase shows for example the positive qualities of concrete pavements regarding fuel consumption and permanent noise properties

Improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ) for occupant health and well-being: A case study of Swedish office building

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is a major domain of building conditions relating to occupant comfort, health and well-being. Especially in the office environment, IEQ can influence work productivity positively. Within the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), goal 3 good health and well-being, and goal 8 decent work and economic growth are the two areas where IEQ can significantly contribute. To better design sustainable office buildings in line with the agenda 2030, the study aims to examine occupant satisfaction, health and work in a newly renovated office building which is labelled by the BREEAM certification scheme Silver. Occupant preferences of IEQ comparing to the current conditions were also explored to provide advice for future design. The results show that occupant satisfaction with IEQ has not well achieved and in the office environment occupants prefer warmer temperature, more fresh air, less noise, and more daylight. We also find that perceived IEQ is extensively related to occupant health and work productivity. It concludes that in such a newly renovated office building as a high-performance building, there are still many problems from the indoor environments. Therefore, improvements are needed to gain occupant satisfaction and positively influence occupant health, well-being and work productivity

Ways to get work done: a review and systematisation of simplification practices in the LCA literature

PurposeWithin the field of life cycle assessment (LCA), simplifications are a response to the practical restrictions in the context of a study. In the 1990s, simplifications were part of a debate on streamlining within LCA. Since then, many studies have been published on simplifying LCA but with little attention to systematise the approaches available. Also, despite being pervasive during the making of LCA studies, simplifications remain often invisible in the final results. This paper therefore reviews the literature on simplification in LCA in order to systematise the approaches found today.MethodsA review of the LCA simplification literature was conducted. The systematic search and selection process led to a sample of 166 publications. During the review phase, the conceptual contributions to the simplification discourse were evaluated. A dataset of 163 entries was created, listing the conceptual contributions to the simplification debate. An empirically grounded analysis led to the generative development of a systematisation of simplifications according to their underlying simplifying logic.Results and discussionFive simplifying logics were identified: exclusion, inventory data substitution, qualitative expert judgment, standardisation and automation. Together, these simplifying logics inform 13 simplification strategies. The identified logics represent approaches to handle the complexities of product systems and expectations of the users of LCA results with the resources available to the analyst. Each simplification strategy is discussed with regard to its main applications and challenges.ConclusionsThis paper provides a first systematisation of the different simplification logics frequently applied in LCA since the original streamlining discussion. The presented terminology can help making communication about simplification more explicit and transparent, thus important for the credibility of LCA. Despite the pervasiveness of simplification in LCA, there is a relative lack of research on simplification per se, making further research describing simplification as a practice and analysing simplifications methodologically desirable

Bridging the gap between assessment and action: recommendations for the effective use of LCA in the building process

Environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) witnesses increasing popularity in the built environment. LCA stimulates among others an efficient use of natural resources and a reduction of carbon emissions through quantification of material and energy inputs and emissions in the building life cycle. Thereby, LCA aspires to contribute to SDG12 on ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns. Despite high ambitions, the actual influence of LCA in construction projects is often modest. The mere application of LCA methodology in a building project is insufficient to produce a more environmentally friendly building. To better understand the practical conditions under which an LCA may induce change in a building project, we propose to analyse the use of LCA from a processual perspective. This paper presents a case study of a building product development project in which a processual perspective is applied on LCA. Using a longitudinal ethnographic methodology, key actors are followed through environmentally relevant episodes as the building project matures. A progressive LCA quantifies the potential environmental impact of the project as it progresses through different stages of the building process. Based on the learnings from this study, recommendations are presented to support the effective use of LCA in sustainable building practices, and contribute to SDG12 on sustainable consumption and production patterns

Machine learning-based stocks and flowsmodeling of road infrastructure

This paper introduces a new method to account for the stocks and flows of road infrastructure at the national level based on material flow accounting (MFA). The proposed method closes some of the current shortcomings in road infrastructures that were identified through MFA: (1) the insufficient implementation of prospective analysis, (2) heavy use of archetypes as a way to represent road infrastructure, (3) inadequate attention to the inclusion of dissipative flows, and (4) limited coverage of the uncertainties. The proposed dynamic bottom-up MFA method was tested on the Norwegian road network to estimate and predict the material stocks and flows between 1980 and 2050. Here, a supervised machine learning model was introduced to estimate the road infrastructure instead of archetypical mapping of different roads. The dissipation of materials from the road infrastructure based on tire–pavement interaction was incorporated. Moreover, this study utilizes iterative classified and regression trees, lifetime distributions, randomized material intensities, and sensitivity analyses to quantify the uncertainties

Identify Optimal Renovation Packages for Residential Buildings: A State-of-the-Art Computational Model

Renovating the existing building stock has a significant potential to achieve the goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union. However, a common European renovation project focuses primarily on improving the thermal performance of the building shell by adding insulation to the opaque surfaces and improve the thermal performance of the windows. The potentially positive contribution of renewable energies (RE) in balance with energy efficiency measures is often underestimated. Consequently, a more holistic approach can contribute to a reduction in total net energy demand up to 40-45% for the entire buildings sector. Thus, in order to achieve the goal of GHG emission reduction in an economic most responsible way, the share of RE in a renovation project needs to be increased. However, building renovation projects are becoming - apparently - more complicated if more factors are considered in the planning of a renovation project. Thus, a computational tool for evaluating hundreds of different renovation options, including the implementations of renewable energy resources, to obtain an optimal or nearly optimal set of renovation options is essential. Therefore, a novel planning tool has been developed within the framework of DREEAM project, a project funded by the European Union within the Horizon 2020 research framework. The DREEAM-Tool has been designed in the way that it helps designers and other stakeholders to plan a renovation project of a single building or even on a multi-building scale. The tool was built in the way to optimize the renovation project taking into consideration the most critical factors in planning and decision-making processes, such as the economic or environmental performance. In other words, the tool combines an energy calculation model for a building or multiple building with an economic and environmental assessment to identify and optimize the most beneficial refurbishment solutions. The current study presents the concept of the DREEAM-Tool and shows examples of how the optimal renovation packages of a considered building will be determined and how this will support designers or buildings owners in decision-making processes

Pathways towards carbon neutrality: A participatory analysis of the Gothenburg’s energy plan

Among International Energy Agency members, Sweden is one of the upfront countries in implementing energy policies to achieve zero net emissions. Despite having the lowest share of fossil sources in its primary energy supply, becoming carbon neutral by 2045 is a challenging target. To meet the national goal, cities’ roadmaps and strategic plans have a leading role in facilitating the implementation of energy efficiency measures and renewable production systems. However, succeeding in city energy transitions requires envisioning and understanding of risk and vulnerability levels of the new socio-technical energy system. This study presents a review of the City of Gothenburg’s Energy Plan 2022-2030 and discusses potential challengesfor its implementation. Based on a document study, stakeholder workshop, and interviews the research identifies four key aspects: i) the coordination between energy and urban planning, ii) the future stability of district heating and cooling, iii) the balance in electrification of the buildings and transport, iv) communication and tools in decision-making processes. Finally, the study suggests new measures that should be allocated in the plan to guarantee the development of instruments and analysis for addressing the identified challenges

How Does Office Design Support Employees’ Health? A Case Study on the Relationships among Employees’ Perceptions of the Office Environment, Their Sense of Coherence and Office Design

This study investigated the current design circumstances of an office as well as employees’ perceptions of the office environment in relation to their perceived health, drawing on sense of coherence theory (comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness). Previous studies have related the physical office environment to employee health. However, most studies have focused on alleviating negative effects, while health-promoting potential, including employee sense of coherence, has been overlooked. This study adopted a mixed method case study approach, combining semi-structured interviews with employees, structured observations, and analysis of architectural drawings. The results indicated that employees’ perceptions did not always align with the ideas behind the architectural design and that employees understood the environment differently. The study also highlighted the interrelations (and contradictions) among the different components of sense of coherence. The findings imply that organizations may need to prioritize which components of coherence should be supported most by the office environment. It also suggests that case-specific design aspects should play a more central role in studying and conceptualizing healthy office design and that design solutions should be continuously modified during the use phase, while ensuring employees’ participation. The study concluded that an ‘ideal’ office environment should not be the goal. Instead, office design should provide an environment in which employees are able to cope with challenges in comprehensible, manageable and meaningful ways

A Framework for User Centric LCA Tool Development for Early Planning Stages of Buildings

As the high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by the construction and real estate sector receive more attention, more and more countries include an environmental assessment of buildings based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in their building regulations. Sweden introduced mandatory climate declarations in January 2022, for example. To support stakeholders in conducting the climate declarations and using the results to reduce GHG emissions, user-friendly tools for early planning stages are needed. The aim of this study is to develop and test a framework for user centric development of such tools. The framework builds on three steps; 1) interviewing stakeholders to define tool requirements, 2) developing a prototype tool according to the requirements, and 3) evaluating it based on user feedback. We developed and tested the framework in the Swedish context to provide a blueprint applicable to other countries and contexts. The primary target users are architects with computational design experience but also engineers and real estate developers working in early phases. The results show that the users\u27 expectations can be met when the requirements are integrated from the very beginning. In the current version, the developed building LCA tool only targets the embodied GHG emissions from the production and construction phase of the building, but it could be extended to include further life cycle phases in the future