Energy and environmental performances of small and innovative solar cooling systems

The development of renewable energy technologies is a critical tool for reducing climate change and the reliance on fossil fuels. However, renewable energy technologies cannot be considered totally clean because they require energy consumption and have environmental impacts that cannot be neglected during their life cycle. This paper presents the results of two researches related to the application of solar thermal system for building heating and cooling. It is focused on small and compact systems of two different typologies. An innovative compact Solar DEC system is analysed in terms of potential competitor of stand alone electrically driven HVAC systems. The performances of small absorption chillers coupled with low temperature solar collectors is investigated by the means of Life Cycle Assessment approach in order to highlight their environmental impacts also during manufacturing and end-of-life phases.Bajada New Energy, General Membrane, EcoGroup, Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering, Solar Solutionspeer-reviewe

An empirical assessment to establish the role of renewable energy sector in the Greek economy under the aspect of economic recession

The challenging economic environment that affects most European countries has driven the Greek economy through a volatile transition period. The economic crisis is considered in some cases as an opportunity for economic development in several sectors. The energy sector is one of them, and it is expected to play a key role in the recovery of the economy. The current research will inspect whether the renewable energy sector could play a vital role in boosting the Greek economy, but mainly why it has not been done as it was expected. In addition, this paper will demonstrate in detail the renewable energy sources that represented the core investment targets in the country, along with the current status of completion. Furthermore, the idea that renewable energy sources could help the improvement of country’s economy will be elaborated, along with the reasons that show why this idea has failed. The data analysis is based on an empirical assessment on energy projects that have been developed around the country. The presentation of the obstacles that an investor faces prior and after the completion of the projects will justify the reasons that investments in renewable energy sources could not ameliorate the economic crisis of Greece.Bajada New Energy, General Membrane, EcoGroup, Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering, Solar Solutionspeer-reviewe

The Al Bahr towers - enhancing sustainability through innovation

This paper presents the Al Bahr Towers recently completed in Abu Dhabi. It describes the innovative adaptive facade that wraps around the towers and adapts in accordance to the solar incidence to control solar heat gain and optimise daylight within the buildings. The paper reports the studies carried out to mitigate the risks inherent in implementing a novel shading system in a large building project. It elaborates on how the façade was implemented and its sustainability credentials in relation to energy performance of the project. The paper describes how daylighting was controlled by the Mashrabiya screen and the typology of the curtain wall lying behind it. A critique is made on the possible implementation of a similar system in a Mediterranean climate.Bajada New Energy, General Membrane, EcoGroup, Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering, Solar Solutions.peer-reviewe

Floating photovoltaics – technological issues, cost and practical implications

In space constrained countries such as Malta it is difficult to envision large scale PV farms on land due to the high cost and lack of availability of large stretches of suitable land. It is therefore natural to try to venture offshore as has happened elsewhere with wind-farms. Some of the challenges – higher communication costs, corrosive effects of the sea water, long term survivability – are the same. However sea-borne PVs have an edge when it comes to cost as their deployment would be logistically simpler than the massive wind turbines. They would also be less visible from shore and therefore less likely to be opposed on aesthetic grounds. The balance of system costs for an offshore system provides some advantages and some disadvantages when compared to a land-based system however it is believed that the overall cost could be similar to or even lower especially if special panels are developed for offshore use and since no expensive land-leasing would be involved. While most of the systems reviewed are on ponds some of the adopted solutions could also work in open sea and while challenging, other problems such as rough seas and biological fouling should be surmountable.Bajada New Energy, General Membrane, EcoGroup, Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering, Solar Solutionspeer-reviewe

How do firms organize for sustainable energy consumption? An investigation of the Maltese hotel sector

The aim of the paper is to investigate the capabilities of firms in a mature service sector to adopt innovative sustainable energy technologies and practices and the processes through which these firms obtain and exploit knowledge about energy management practices. The hotel sector in Malta is used as the empirical setting. Interviews were undertaken with 26 hotel managers and 14 engineering consulting firms in Malta. The interview data from the hotels were clustered to derive patterns of environmental action characterized by particular firm capabilities. The findings distinguish between hotels that adopt a narrow range of energy efficient measures and those with a higher innovative potential that modify routine maintenance activities and make deeper organizational changes to shift towards improved energy efficiency. Accounting for the range of innovative potential are different combinations of capabilities for problem-solving around energy efficiency and for collaborating with external actors (engineering consulting firms in this study). The paper concludes by providing some implications for policy.Bajada New Energy, General Membrane, EcoGroup, Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering, Solar Solutionspeer-reviewe

Heat transfer characteristics of locally manufactured hollow concrete blocks

The paper is focused on the investigation of the thermal properties of traditional local building blocks with the aim of understanding its resistance to the transfer of heat. The building blocks under test shall be hollow concrete blocks (HCBs) manufactured by a local company. The hot box method technique shall be applied to obtain values of the thermal conductivity of the respective HCBs being tested. Dimensions and weight of these blocks shall be recorded and compression testing carried out. The correlation between thermal conductivities and compression strength shall provide useful information on the thermo-physical behaviour of these building elements. The first part of this paper reports on the actual setup of the hot box. It is then followed by the description of the testing methodology adopted and calculations applied to obtain values for comparisons between the different HCBs tested. The final part of the paper is then focused on the discussion of results and the ultimate conclusions. The aim is to succeed in obtaining a correlation between U-values of existing local HCBs, their density and compressive strength, which will enable future extrapolation of results, based on simple measurements such as density.Bajada New Energy, General Membrane, EcoGroup, Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering, Solar Solutionspeer-reviewe

Energy-related air pollution in Malta : black carbon measurements by use of a mobile aethalometer

Black Carbon (BC) is the component of fine particulate matter that is associated with energy use. It affects human health and is a significant contributor to climate change. Black Carbon (BC) concentrations in the atmosphere have been assessed by gathering 130 air samples in Malta, recording more than 230 hours of real-time data. A mobile micro-Aethalometer (microAeth AE51) was used for the measurements. Samples were taken under various conditions, from clean rural areas to the most polluted roads. Results showed that the highest levels of exposure to BC pollution are experienced in enclosed areas such as parking lots and inside motor vehicles while driving. The results also showed that the highest levels of BC concentration in the Maltese islands occur during the morning and the afternoon. These two periods coincide with the peaks in road traffic. All results indicated that the main source of BC in the Maltese islands comes from land transportation, and mostly from diesel engines.Bajada New Energy, General Membrane, EcoGroup, Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering, Solar Solutionspeer-reviewe

From oil to gas : an analysis of Malta’s power sector transition with regard to CO2 emissions, the integration of renewables, and the role of energy storage

Malta’s electricity generation is based on heavy fuel oil and gas oil. However, profound changes are underway as the power sector is being shifted to natural gas and an HVAC interconnector to Sicily will connect the hitherto isolated Maltese electricity grid to Europe. Within this study projections for supply and demand have been compared, and the power sector transition has been reviewed with respect to carbon dioxide emissions and economic impact. The latter included a review of Sicilian electricity prices to investigate opportunities of electricity trade through the interconnector. A model has been built to compare various scenarios of electricity generation and import/export levels for different years. While the Maltese power sector transition will reduce overall national carbon dioxide emissions below 1990 levels, achieving high renewable energy shares will be challenging. Though Malta has managed to reach the two percent intermediate renewables share target for 2012, the national renewable energy action plan needs to be revised, in part due to the impact of the new fossil fuel setup. In turn, energy storage options might facility the way towards the further rise and integration of renewable energy integration. The modelling results indicated that investment into storage rather than generation capacity might be the better option once the older generation capacity at Delimara power station will retire. Seawater pumped hydro storage and ocean compressed air energy storage have been identified as two of the options that would fit Maltese settings.Bajada New Energy, General Membrane, EcoGroup, Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering, Solar Solutionspeer-reviewe

Policy options for the thermal upgrade of existing Maltese housing stock : an environmental and economic approach

This study formulates and evaluates policy options to identify the most economically viable means to accomplish the thermal upgrade of the existing residential buildings stock in Malta. In a first step, policies adopted in various EU countries have been reviewed to determine their benefits, success, and adaptability to Maltese settings. The UK and Germany were found to have progressed significantly in this area, and their policies were consequently reviewed in greater detail. While climatic differences are less important in the policy context, it is imperative to understand the processes that allowed such countries to arrive at their present state of policy adoption. Sudden introduction of hefty measures and policies that took years to be implemented and accepted in other countries may be counterproductive. In a second step, it was surveyed how Maltese stakeholders are viewing different policy options in terms of technological, social, environmental, and economic impact. In a third step, a detailed techno-economic analysis was performed to compare the energy saving effect of various energy efficiency measures with their cost in relation to heating/cooling expenditures of Maltese households. Based on this analysis, investment into roof insulation is the prime measure to be recommended.Bajada New Energy, General Membrane, EcoGroup, Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering, Solar Solutions.peer-reviewe

Assessing the design options for the optimisation of a 2MWp ground mounted PV system in Malta

The objective of large scale PV installations in space constrained countries has gradually shifted from production maximisation to that of reaching an optimised economic performance. The main reason for this is the ever decreasing price of the modules. This has resulted in systems with lower tilt angles, increased mutual shading and overloading of inverters by design, in the continuous quest of balancing reduced yield with development costs over the entire lifespan of the project. This approach has shifted the traditional view of evaluating a PV installation from a Euro/watt approach to the use of optimisation metrics such the Levelised Cost Of Electricity (LCOE) or Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Optimisation can be simply described as a balancing act, evaluating tradeoffs to assess which combination gives the best economic performance. By its very nature, optimisation is an iterative process. This paper evaluates a number of design parameters which, together with production modelling within the context of the Maltese solar climate, aims at identifying an optimum design for the building of a 2MWp ground mounted PV installation. Among the issues considered are; layout optimisation with issues of tilt, cross shading and cabling options, and inverter architecture whether string or central including dc-to-ac rating.Bajada New Energy, General Membrane, EcoGroup, Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering, Solar Solutionspeer-reviewe