A review of the water and energy sectors and the use of a nexus approach in Abu Dhabi

Rapid population increase coupled with urbanization and industrialization has resulted in shortages of water in the Middle East. This situation is further exacerbated by global climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions. Recent research advocates that solutions to the global water security and scarcity crisis must involve water–energy nexus approaches. This means adopting policies and strategies that harmonize these inter-related sectors to minimize environmental impact while maximizing human benefit. In the case of Abu Dhabi, when designing and locating oil/gas refineries and associated power generation facilities, previous relevant decisions were based on simple economic and geographical grounds, such as nearness to oil rigs, pipelines, existing industries and port facilities, etc. The subsequent design and location of water abstraction and treatment works operated by the waste heat from these refining and/or power generation processes was catered for as an afterthought, meaning that there is now a mismatch between the water and energy supplies and demands. This review study was carried out to show how Abu Dhabi is trying now to integrate its water–energy sectors using a nexus approach so that future water/power infrastructure is designed optimally and operated in harmony, especially in regard to future demand. Based upon this review work, some recommendations are made for designers and policy makers alike to bolster the nexus approach that Abu Dhabi is pursuing

Load Matching and Grid Interaction of Net Zero Energy Buildings

“Net Zero Energy Building” has become a prominent wording to describe the synergy of energy efficient building and renewable energy utilization to reach a balanced energy budget over a yearly cycle. Taking into account the energy exchange with a grid infrastructure overcomes the limitations of seasonal energy storage on-site. Even though the wording “Net Zero Energy Building” focuses on the annual energy balance, large differences may occur between solution sets in the amount of grid interaction needed to reach the goal. The paper reports on the analysis of example buildings concerning the load matching and grid interaction. Indices to describe both issues are proposed and foreseen as part of a harmonized definition framework. The work is part of subtask A of the IEA SHCP Task40/ECBCS Annex 52: “Towards Net Zero Energy Solar Buildings”

Development of prefabricated retrofit module towards nearly zero energy buildings

The building sector is an energy intensive sector, with great potential to reduce energy needs and environmental pollution. Several measures are being taken to increase the energy efficiency and avoid energy consumption in this sector. A recent trend is the nearly zero energy buildings, which was already adopted by some of the latest regulations, such as the 2010 recast of the European Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). However, to reach these goals, especially considering the existing building stock, new retrofit solutions are required, which must be well adapted to the specific building stock needs, and ensure that the building retrofit can achieve the nearly zero energy buildings standards. This paper presents a new prefabricated retrofit module solution for the facades of existing buildings, and also the steps taken to optimise its performance, which includes a judicious choice of materials, 3D modelling, cost–benefit analysis, use of different simulation tools for performance optimisation and prototyping. It is also shown the implementation of the retrofit module within an integrated retrofit approach, whose final goal was to obtain a building with the minimum possible energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.This work was supported by ERDF funds through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme - COMPETE and National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology [project number FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007189]. The author, Pedro Silva, was supported by FCT and DST, S.A. [grant number SFRH/BDE/15599/2006], which was co-financed by the Human Potential Operational Programme of the European Union POPH - NSRF - Type 4.1 - Advanced Training, shared by the European Social Fund and national funds MCTES

Study of the Inflationary Spectrum in the Presence of Quantum Gravity Corrections

After a brief review of the different approaches to predict the possible quantum gravity corrections to quantum field theory, we discuss in some detail the formulation based on a Gaussian reference frame fixing. Then, we implement this scenario to the determination of the inflationary spectrum of primordial perturbations. We consider the quantization of an inhomogeneous free massless scalar field on a quasi-classical isotropic Universe, developing a WKB expansion of the dynamics at the next order in the Planckian parameter, with respect to the one at which standard QFT emerges. The quantum gravity corrections to the scale invariant spectrum are discussed in a specific primordial cosmological setting and then in a general minisuperspace formalism, showing that there is no mode-dependent effect and thus the scale invariant inflationary spectrum is preserved. Such result is discussed in connection to the absence of a matter backreaction on the gravitational background in the considered paradigm.Comment: 24 pages. Discussion expanded and references added; matches the published versio

High-Performance Building Design: Keys to Success

The energy-design process optimizes the interaction between the building envelope and systems. Buildings designed and constructed using this process can save between 30% and 75% in energy costs

Development of Design Guidance for K-12 Schools from 30% to 50% Energy Savings: Preprint

This paper describes the development of energy efficiency recommendations for achieving 30% whole-building energy savings in K-12 schools over levels achieved by following the ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1. These design recommendations look at building envelope, fenestration, lighting systems (including electrical lights and daylighting), HVAC systems, building automation and controls, outside air treatment, and service water heating

Establishing Benchmarks for DOE Commercial Building R&D and Program Evaluation: Preprint

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Program and the DOE research laboratories conduct a great deal of research on building technologies. However, differences in models and simulation tools used by various research groups make it difficult to compare results among studies. The authors have developed a set of 22 hypothetical benchmark buildings and weighting factors for nine locations across the country, for a total of 198 buildings