Structural characterization and energy performance of novel hybrid PVT solar-panels through 3-D FEM and CFD simulations

Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) panels generate both power and heat from the same area with overall efficiencies up to 70%. This work assesses the performance of novel hybrid PVT solar panels considering alternative geometries and materials that maximize heat transfer while allowing weight and cost reductions. A three-dimensional (3-D) model previously developed and validated using 3-D Finite-Element and Computational Fluid-Dynamics (FEM and CFD) software is used for this purpose. The most promising configurations and materials for the absorber-exchanger unit of the proposed PVT panel are studied to analyse their energy performance and behaviour in terms of a thermal-stress assessment. Apart from an assessment of the steady-state performance, for the type of solar PVT panels considered, especially those made of polymeric materials, it is important to evaluate the thermal expansion that the collector suffers, so as to verify whether the associated thermal stresses and strains are within the limits that guarantee a proper performance during its lifetime. The most promising PVT panel is then integrated within a Solar Combined Heat and Power (S-CHP) system for power and heating provision to a single-family house located in Zaragoza (Spain), in order to assess its daily energy performance through transient simulations on half-hourly basis. The results show that these novel polymeric PVT panel configurations are a promising alternative to commercial PVT panel designs, achieving an improved thermal performance compared to a reference case (4% higher optical efficiency and 15% lower heat loss coefficient), while suffering lower strains in most of the PVT layers. Furthermore, the novel polycarbonate 3×2 mm flat-box configuration has the potential to cover, on average, around 50% of the total space heating and Domestic Hot Water (DHW) demand and around 87% of the total electricity demand (including lighting, cooling and home appliances)

Development of new vocational training modules on sustainable buildings maintenance and refurbishment

This article presents the methodology and main results obtained in Spain within the FORMAR project, a European-funded project under the Leonardo Da Vinci scheme (Lifelong Learning Programme), whose main goal is to jointly develop training resources and modules to improve the skills on sustainability issues of buildings maintenance and refurbishment workers, in three different European countries: Spain, Portugal (Project Coordinator) and France. The Units of Short-term Training (UST) developed within this project are focused on the VET of carpenters, painters, bricklayers, building technicians and installers of solar panels, and a transversal unit containing basic concepts on sustainable construction and nearly Zero Energy Buildings (n-ZEB) is also developed. In parallel, clients’ guides for the aforementioned professionals are also implemented to improve the information provided to clients and owners in order to support the procurement decisions regarding building products and materials. Therefore, the project provides an opportunity to exchange experiences between organizations of these three European countries, as the UST will be developed simultaneously in each of them, exploring opportunities for training, guidance and exchange of experience. Even though the UST will have a common structure and contents, they will be slightly different in each country to adapt them to the different specific training needs and regulations of Spain, Portugal and France. This paper details, as a case study, the development process of the UST for carpenters and building technicians in Spain, including the analysis of needs and existing training materials, the main contents developed and the evaluation and testing process of the UST, which involves the active participation of several stakeholders of this sector as well as a classroom testing to obtain the students’ feedback

Analysis of the environmental performance of life-cycle building waste management strategies in tertiary buildings

At urban level, the generation Municipal Solid Waste and Construction and Demolition Waste is mostly related to the life-cycle of buildings. An evaluation method based on Life Cycle Assessment methodology is presented in this paper to make an analysis of the environmental performance of different life-cycle building waste management strategies in tertiary buildings. As a case study, several waste management strategies considering a tertiary building located in the city of Zaragoza in Spain, are studied. The aim of the case study is to compare the environmental impacts, in terms of Global Warming Potential, of the scenarios proposed focussing on the waste minimisation and avoidance of landfilling of at least 10% for the Municipal Solid Waste generation during a building''s use stage, and Construction and Demolition Waste generated during its construction and end-of-life. In case of Municipal Solid Waste, the results show that when a recovery scenario includes energy recovery from the residual fraction of the mechanical-biological treatment plant in the form of Refuse Derived Fuel, greater benefits in terms of the Global Warming Potential are obtained than with current scenarios of landfill deposition of the residual fraction. On the other hand, in case of Construction and Demolition Waste, a similar situation can be observed in case of an increase of the recovery rates of metals

H.E.S.S. observations of PSR B1259-63 during its 2014 periastron passage

An extended observation campaign of the gamma-ray binary system PSR B1259$-$63 has been conducted with the H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System) II 5-telescope array during the system's periastron passage in 2014. We report on the outcome of this campaign, which consists of more than 85 h of data covering both pre- and post-periastron orbital phases. The lower energy threshold of the H.E.S.S. II array allows very-high-energy (VHE; $E \gtrsim 100$ GeV) gamma-ray emission from PSR B1259$-$63 to be studied for the first time down to 200 GeV. The new dataset partly overlaps with and extends in phase previous H.E.S.S. campaigns on this source in 2004, 2007 and 2011, allowing for a detailed long-term characterisation of the flux level at VHEs. In addition, the 2014 campaign reported here includes VHE observations during the exact periastron time, $t_{\rm per}$, as well as data taken simultaneously to the gamma-ray flare detected with the Fermi-LAT. Our results will be discussed in a multiwavelength context, thanks to the dense broad-band monitoring campaign conducted on the system during this last periastron passage.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherland

Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for energy efficiency in buildings: Review and analysis of results from EU pilot projects

Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) can play a potential role in improving the energy performance of buildings by the implementation of effective solutions that take advantage of the energy interactions between all the elements included in a building. A revision of the 105 pilots implemented or under implementation in 18 projects in the area of ICTs for energy efficiency in buildings located in 23 European countries, through 88 cities with different types of climates, buildings and technologies have been carried out through documentary and field analysis of the energy, economic and social project results. These results have been extrapolated to assess the potential energy savings which could be expected at the EU level by implementing the solutions proposed by the projects. By the implementation of the different ICT solutions, buildings have achieved more than 20% energy savings. Pilots have demonstrated that the effectiveness of the ICT solution does not depend directly on the different climates where the solutions are implemented, but on several factors, such as the level of motivation, perceived thermal comfort, quality of social interaction and communication and ICT support

Energy Performance Certification of Faculty Buildings in Spain: The gap between estimated and real energy consumption

A systematic method has been established to perform and analyse in detail the Energy Performance Certification of 21 Faculty Buildings located at the University of Zaragoza (Spain), according to the transposition of Directive 2010/31/EU. First of all, the problem background and a review of the state-of-the-art of the energy certification in buildings is outlined, regarding both the actual state of the Government regulations and the studies undertaken in several countries to assess the energy performance of different types of buildings, residential and non-residential. A summary of the causes found in other studies for the discrepancies between the estimated (by simulation) and actual energy consumption is shown which is afterwards tested and compared with the results found in the present study. Thereafter, the method followed to undertake the buildings’ Energy Performance Certification is explained, and the main results found together with the discussion are detailed, comparing actual vs. estimated energy consumption in the different case studies and proposing reasons for these deviations. The energy consumption breakdown by uses for several buildings is also analysed, and potential improvements for the simulation software are assessed

Energy vulnerability composite index in social housing, from a household energy poverty perspective

In Europe, the proportion of social housing is high, and such houses tend to be inhabited by below average-income households, which are particularly vulnerable to energy poverty. This article proposes a new methodological approach for defining an index for household energy vulnerability assessment. This method can be used to improve the management of social housing. After establishing a heuristic framework for household energy poverty-which stems from different causes such as income, the characteristics of the residence, energy installations, and the energy-consumption habits of household members-multi-criteria analytical methods, based on the aggregation of indicators which reveal the conditions leading to energy poverty, have been applied, and effective means of intervention are proposed. The method is also applied to a sample of social houses and thus validated as a useful tool in decision-making processes which concern the management of social housing from a household energy-poverty perspective

Sustainability of non-residential buildings and relevance of main environmental impact contributors’ variability. A case study of food retail stores buildings

European tertiary sector represents about 13% of EU-28 final energy consumption. As an example, food retail stores sector amounts about 3% of EU members’ electricity consumption. Furthermore, currently, fluorinated gases, which are the most used refrigerants for space conditioning and refrigeration systems, involve 2% of EU emissions, having risen since 1990 by 60%. Specifically, commercial refrigeration is responsible for 35% of EU-27 CO2-eq emissions related to refrigerants. A methodology based on Life Cycle Assessment standards is presented in this study to assess the energy and environmental implications of non-residential buildings, adapted to particularities of food retail stores buildings, in terms of Primary Energy Demand, carbon footprint and water demand. Relying on a reference building, constructive improvements are tested and evaluated. Then a sensitivity analysis of several configurations of food retail stores are studied considering their building location, refrigerant typology and schedule. Results show that electricity and refrigerants are the main contributors and sensitive to potential improvements. In fact, static calculations reveal that a food retail store may involve, in terms of Global Warming Potential, about 800 kgCO2- eq/m2 year, more than 20 times higher than a regular building. Thus, future scenarios are estimated through a dynamic calculation methodology. Due to optimal dimensioning and configuration of the refrigeration system, together with refrigerant replacement, an 80% of Global Warming Potential minimization can be reached. Furthermore, temporal dynamic assessment can present a variability of environmental impacts estimation from static Life Cycle Assessment of more than 15%, by considering a wider approach towards sustainability assessment of non-residential buildings

Relevamiento fitosociológico del parque nacional Lihue Calel, La Pampa, Argentina

The Lihue Calel National Park is situated in the center of La Pampa (long. 65° 39' W and 65°33' W, lat. 37° 54' S and 38° 05' S). The clima is mild, semiarid with an annual rain of 400 mm. The texture of the soil is loamy-sand, sandy-loam - and sandy. The landscape includes different geoforms (to P. Little hills. base of the hills. slopes and depressions) each of them characterized by a definite kind of vegetation. Thirteen different communities were distinguished. Of each of them, situation topography, formation, physiognomy, structure, stratification and floral composition were described.El Parque Nacional Lihue Calel está ubicado en el centro de La Pampa (long. 65°39' W y 65° 33' W, lato 37° 54' S Y 38° 05' S). El clima es templado semiárido. con precipitaciones anuales de 400 mm. La textura del suelo es franco-arenosa, arenosa-franca y arenosa. El paisaje incluye distintas geoformas (crestas, lomadas, pedemontes, pendientes y depresiones) cada una de ellas caracterizada por un determinado tipo de vegetación. Se distinguieron 13 comunidades diferentes. De cada una de ellas se describió su ubicación topográfica, formación, fisonomía, estructura, estratificación, composición florística y lista florística sintética