Tag Archives: retrofitting

AuSES Conference Best Papers: Wind Power

We have prepared list of solar-e.com’s own selection of ranked candidates for the best Wind Power papers presented at the

‘Solar 2010’ Conference: Policies and Strategies (including the Economics of solar energy, diversity of derived forms of solar energy, electricity grids and data collection)

The analysis and understanding the of more obscure fields of solar energy related technology and policy developments is obviously another critical step forward to applying more solar energy in our economy. this section will hopefully expand as more papers are delivered in the future.

Student Prizes – Wal Read Memorial Prizes
Post Graduates Prizes
BILBAO, Jose “PV-Thermal Water Systems as a Retrofit for Near Zero Energy Homes”
Winner $1500 AUD
BAMBROOK, Shelley ” Experimental PVT Air System for Dwellings”
Highly Commended $1000 AUD
LHENDUP, Tshewang “Simulation of a Ground-coupled Heat Pump Combined with Solar Collectors”
Commended $250 AUD
ELLISTON, Ben “Grid parity: A potential misleading concept?”
Commended $250 AUD

Undergraduates Prizes
BRAZIER, Thomas “Dependence of installed cost of a 1.5 kW rooftop PV system on module efficiency”
Joint Winner $1,000 AUD
BOEREMA, Nicholas “Economics of constraints on wind farms – SA”
Joint Winner $1,000 AUD
O’BRIEN, Paul “Exergetic analysis of a steam-flashing thermal storage system”
Joint Winner $1,000 AUD

Wind Power : Solar-e.com Director Garry Baverstock’s personal selection of the Best Papers

At the conference the papers were presented under a number of category headings such as Built Environment, Wind Power, Photovoltaics, Environmental Benefits, Solar Thermal and Economics. Following is our selection of the worthwhile papers and a ranking based on relevance to world situation on Climate Change, the impact on the increased use of solar energy and the quality of the research as presented in the paper.
The best papers, in our opinion, have been listed. This is our opinion, but we are interested in what the solar experts think and any comments are welcome. If we have overlooked a paper or you disagree with our assessment please feel free to offer your opinion. If bona fide it will be published.

WIND POWER

Image of windmills old and new

A comment by Garry Baverstock, A.M. follows each heading.

1. Impacts of Distributed Wind Generation on Distribution Networks

N. K. Roy, H. R. Pota, M. A. Mahmud, and M. J. Hossain

Comment: Wind power needs this technical analysis for it to find its rightful place in the renewable energy mix in Australia.

2. The Economics of Transmission Constraints on Wind Farms – some evidence from South Australia

Nicholas Boerema1, Iain MacGill2

Comment: Good feed back about the effectiveness of wind farms in South Australia

A message from AuSES
People who were not delegates at Solar 2010 (or AuSES members) who would like to access this resource they can apply for access for an annual fee of $140 (ex GST). Please go to AuSES website.

Solar-e.com invites you to leave comments at the end of this article.

Experts who disagree with our rating and choices we invite you to make comment and if enough substance is shown we will reserve the right to change the ranking at anytime or keep the ranking the same.

solar-e.com related links:

https://solar-e.com/knowledge/2009/11/30/green-economics
https://solar-e.com/knowledge/2009/11/24/ethical-investment
https://solar-e.com/knowledge/2009/11/30/employment-opportunities
https://solar-e.com/knowledge/2009/11/30/wave-power
http://www.solartec.iinet.net.au/solare/innovation/strategiesindevelopingproducts.htm

AuSES Conference Best Papers: Built Environment

We have prepared list of solar-e.com’s own selection of ranked candidates for the best Built Environment papers presented at the

‘Solar 2010’ Conference: Policies and Strategies (including the Economics of solar energy, diversity of derived forms of solar energy, electricity grids and data collection)

AuSES Committee – Best Papers at AuSES Solar 2010 as judged by the AuSES panel

Student Prizes – Wal Read Memorial Prizes
Post Graduates Prizes
BILBAO, Jose “PV-Thermal Water Systems as a Retrofit for Near Zero Energy Homes”
Winner $1500 AUD
BAMBROOK, Shelley “Experimental PVT Air System for Dwellings”
Highly Commended $1000 AUD
LHENDUP, Tshewang “Simulation of a Ground-coupled Heat Pump Combined with Solar Collectors”
Commended $250 AUD
ELLISTON, Ben “Grid parity: A potential misleading concept?”
Commended $250 AUD

Built Environment: Solar-e.com Director Garry Baverstock’s personal selection of the Best Papers

At the conference the papers were presented under a number of category headings such as Built Environment, Wind Power, Photovoltaics, Environmental Benefits, Solar Thermal and Economics. Following is our selection of the worthwhile papers and a ranking based on relevance to world situation on Climate Change, the impact on the increased use of solar energy and the quality of the research as presented in the paper.
image of apple on books The best papers, in our opinion, have been listed. This is our opinion, but we are interested in what the solar experts think and any comments are welcome. If we have overlooked a paper or you disagree with our assessment please feel free to offer your opinion. If bona fide it will be published.

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

A comment by Garry Baverstock, A.M. follows each heading.

1. A Method for Practical Zero Carbon Refurbishments: A Residential Case Study

John Shiel1,2, Dr Steffen Lehmann3, Dr Jamie MacKee1

Comment: This is a complex issue and needs to be ‘fully understood with a price on carbon near to implementation, throughout the developed world.

2. PVT Water Systems as a viable Retrofitting for near Zero Energy Homes in Sydney Climate

J. Bilbao*, A.B. Sproul

Comment: This work is prize winning for the student and has great vision to the most pressing issue in our built environment, retrofitting our 7.5 million homes already built.

3. Mandatory Disclosure of House Energy Rating in the Australian Capital Territory

Trevor Lee

Comment: Lee’s work shows clearly the way forward in making home-owners more conscious of energy efficiency and the use of passive active solar strategies in their homes and achieve higher resale prices which is consistently possible with an energy efficient house.

4. A model for integrating passive elements into building ventilation and air-conditioning

Wasim Y. Saman1; Martin Belusko; Alemu Tiruneh

Comment: We need better simulation modelling that includes all passive elements and particularly natural ventilation in the built environment.

5. Performance comparisons of sky window spectral selective and high emittance radiant cooling systems under varying atmospheric conditions.

Dr Angus Gentle, Prof Geoff Smith

Comment: It is good to see highly qualified physicists getting involved in such a practical application with enormous benefits for low energy cooling systems in buildings in the future.

6. Gas Booster Solar Water Heaters: Queensland Case Studies of Installation Practices on New Homes

Wendy Miller, Raymond Miller
Comment: This is just the type of feedback that government and industry needs to know about installation practices when building an energy efficient house.

7. Experimental PVT Air System for Residential Dwellings

S. Bambrook, A. Sproul, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy
Comment: This paper described evaluation of combining synergistic objectives of winter semi active heating as well as improving the efficiency of grid connected domestic systems. Great potential in the future retrofitting of houses in cool temperate climates.

8. An Indirect Evaporative Cooler for Supplying Air Near the Dew Point

Frank Bruno
Comment:Indirect evaporative cooling is about to become mainstream in commercial building and domestic use.
9. Low Cost, building Integrated CPV Using Standard Solar Panels

Dr Alonso Marquez, Ideasol Australia Pty Ltd
Comment: Cost is such an important issue and this paper has a practical application
10. The Development of a large Building Integrated Solar Collector for Pool Heating

TN Anderson M Duke, JK Carson, R Kunnemeyer and B Smith
Comment: Integrated systems in architecture are predicted to increase in popularity over the next 20 – 30 years.

11. Fast Thermal modelling Using Micro-Cap

GA Parnis, AB Sproul
Comment: Quicker thermal prediction tools are needed for designers

12. Photovoltaic Panels+Air Conditioners+Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms+A win-win situation

Christian Perfumo, JK Ward, and J Braslavsky
Comment: Combining the waste heat from photovoltaics provides some interesting possibilities over the coming decades

13. Simulation of a Ground –coupled Heat Pump Combined with Solar Collectors

Tshewang Lhendup, Lu Aye and RJ Fuller
Comment: There will be an explosion in innovation of combining systems once a carbon price is set worldwide

DO YOU WISH TO BUY ANY OF THESE PAPERS?

Solar-e.com invites you to leave comments at the end of this article.

Passive Solar Homes Design Creates 300,000 New Jobs

Designs of passive solar homes, incorporating advances in recycling building materials from demolition, water and waste water design should be the focus of progress in our search for answers to reduce our domestic energy consumption. New advances in solar water heating, grid connected photovoltaic systems and the integration of other renewable energy systems should be incorporated into the built environment.

Passive Solar Homes to Create Opportunities

Solar Passive House Image - solar Umbrella

Passive Solar Homes with Solar Umbrella

Passive solar homes, adapted to become energy and water efficient such as this house shown with a solar umbrella, could create 300,000 new jobs in the building industry – this growth would take place over 20 years and be in key industry areas.

The growth in new jobs will only take place if we are serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and introducing policies and practices to ensure we only construct and reconstruct energy and water efficient homes.

Australia’s built environment constitutes 33 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and this figure increases to 40 per cent when infrastructure and embodied energy are taken into account.

These amounts could be reduced if energy consumed in existing homes is reduced by between 30 and 50 per cent and by 80 per cent in all new homes. This is why passive solar homes are the only realistic solution to our residential built environment energy problems. However not all designers and architects specialise in energy efficient design and a ‘near enough is good enough’ attitude will not bring the best results in reducing energy consumption. Contact passive solar homes specialists for the best advice and outcome and ask them for proof of their expertise before you enter any contracts.

Retro-Fitting Existing Homes

Of the 7.5 million houses in Australia we know most need to be retrofitted to become more energy and water efficient. Many of these will eventually need to be replaced with new state-of-the-art passive solar homes because it will be too costly to retrofit them.

Homes to be demolished will have to be carefully recycled and this will entail the introduction of procedures and policies to ensure wastage is kept to a minimum.

Building Codes Needed For Recycling Existing Homes

National building codes and other relevant legislation in Australia do not require home owners and builders to comply with energy and water efficiency principles when demolishing, retrofitting or renovating homes.
Legislation is lagging and up until now lay people and industry groups have led the way in the instigation of innovative and necessary change.

The idea of adapting a home to become more energy and water efficient is normally decided by home owners, who place pressure on designers and builders to trial new methods.

Once these techniques have been found to be effective, builders adopt them into mainstream practice and political parties follow by introducing them into legislation.

This means the general public and industry professionals will continue to lead the way in the push for important change, but this may not be enough if we are to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Demand For Passive Solar Homes

Many people in Australia want to live in passive solar homes and work in buildings that have been designed and built to comply with energy efficient and climate sensible principles.

While it’s good news people that people want to live in energy efficient homes, there are barriers to these lifestyle changes which include money, industry know-how and legislative amendments. This is because the cost to retrofit a property may initially be outside a home owner’s budget despite the investment eventually being offset in energy savings while also reducing each of the occupants’ carbon footprints.

Legislation Lags Consumer Demands

Industry know-how and current legislation are also not at the level desired by consumers. In the interim, young people, tradespeople, homes designers and architects could extend their skills’ levels by enrolling in sustainability courses and placing pressure on landlords and employers to implement climate sensible and energy efficient principles in the rental market and the workplace.

However retrofitting and building new passive solar homes by home owners is probably the most likely and definitely the most effective response to our domestic over-consumption of energy.

Image: Courtesy Wikipedia