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Abu Dhabi’s successful bid to host the global headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA), as well as the completion of the largest grid-connected solar power plant in the UAE at Masdar, has focused the spotlight on renewable energy. MEP Middle East takes a look at the potential impact of photovoltaics (PV) on the MEP sector.
Energy modelling is a critical component of building design at the concept stage. MEP engineers are playing an increasingly vital role in determining the energy efficiency of new building projects, which is necessary to ensure their compliance with the soon-to-be-regulated ‘green’ building ethos, as well as promoting their long-term sustainability. Apart from the regulatory perspective, many think such an approach also encompasses an ethical or moral responsibility, meaning the ‘feel good’ factor of renewable energy.
PV installations throughput the world reached a record high of 5,95 GW in 2008, representing a staggering growth of 110% over the previous year, according to market research from Solarbuzz of the US. A total of 81 countries contributed to this total market, lead by Europe, Spain, Germany and Korea. On the supply side, world solar cell production achieved a consolidated figure of 6,85 GW in 2008, up significantly from 3,44 GW a year earlier. Overall capacity utilisation rose to 67% in 2008, while thin-film production (the latest efficiency advance in PV panel technology) recorded a phenomenal 123% increase in 2008.
When it comes to solar power in the region, many think of vast solar energy ‘farms’ spread across the deserts of the UAE, taking advantage of both the region’s high insolation factor and its availability of large tracts of open space. This is quite removed from the normal electro-mechanical and plumbing ambit of a typical MEP contractor. But there is an aspect of PV technology dovetailing with the construction industry that offers huge scope for the MEP sector.
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Facing the change
Known as Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), pundits claim this is poised to change the face of construction, energy and urban planning in the coming decade. The Department of Energy in the US, for example, has estimated that BIPV technology has the potential to generate half of the electricity needed by that superpower and other developed countries.
This goal seems increasingly achievable, as solar energy is expected to attain ‘grid parity’ by 2015, meaning it will be able to supply electricity as cost-effectively, or even more cheaply, than electricity produced by conventional means such as coal-fired power stations. What better way then to capitalise on the utility potential of solar energy by applying it to the building industry, which is struggling to reduce its own carbon footprint in order to save precious natural resources?
Kyocera Solar, one of the world’s largest vertically-integrated producers and suppliers of solar energy products, comments that BIPV represents the combination of proven renewable power-generating technology and the building exterior or façade, using tried-and-tested construction methodology. (Kyocera solar modules are distributed in the UAE by Green Energy LLC). The main implication is that solar panels are taken into account with the structure itself being built. This immediately offers a plethora of benefits:
• Financial appeal – costs are combined for a building material and power generation;
• Distributed power generation – greater independence and less reliance on centralised fossil fuel power sources;
• Economies of scale – leverages a large inventory of constructed surface area for renewable power production;
• Improved real estate values – capitalise on short- and long-term property investment;
• Easy integration to standard construction practice – can be retrofitted to existing construction or installed new;
• No independent support structures – minimise system cost;
• Hassle-free operation – low to no maintenance, with no moving parts; and
• Improved aesthetics – avoids the look of being an afterthought or add-on.
“Interest in BIPV, where the PV panels actually become an integral part of the building, has been growing worldwide in the energy and construction industry. Solar panels can be integrated into many types of exterior materials, including roofs, walls, shadings, or windows. BIPV not only creates environmentally-friendly solar power, but enhances co-existence with nature and visual harmony,” argues Kyocera. Put simply, BIPV allows the construction industry to ‘harness the sun’.
Global leader
Scheuten is a global leader in solar power systems, with a module manufacturing facility in Germany.
Scheuten Middle East MD Reza Shaybani commented that incorporating PV technology into the building envelope itself is not nearly as esoteric as it sounds. Instead it represents a natural convergence of various trends. These are the large unused surfaces of a typical high-rise building (especially in a place like Dubai), combined with the unlimited power of the sun and the current ‘green’ trend.
“Let us use this potential!” is Shaybani’s simple, yet forceful, message. “Why integrate PV in façades and roofs? It reduces the dependency on grid-supplied power, especially during peak hours, while simultaneously functioning as a façade material. Thus not only does it look modern and innovative, but it produces power as well,” said Shaybani during a recent solar power seminar in Dubai hosted by Scheuten.
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need general data on these subjects