Zero energy balance and zero on-site CO2 emission housing development in the Mediterranean climate

The energy design of a building is a multivariable problem, which can accept different sets of solutions. In this paper an integrated energy design process is proposed to support designers in identifying the most suitable set of passive solutions to guarantee a comfortable indoor environment and hence to minimize its energy needs for space conditioning. The proposed design process uses EnergyPlus as energy simulation engine, guided by GenOpt via some code written by the authors. The optimization aims at minimizing two seasonal long-term discomfort indices (based on the ASHRAE Adaptive comfort model) through the Particle swarm optimization algorithm. We test here the proposed process in a case study where we identify the most suitable envelope components and passive strategies for the design of a single-family net zero energy home located in the Mediterranean climate. The building is now actually under construction. It should be noted, however, that the modeling and the optimization approach outlined in this paper can be applied to any residential or commercial building prototype.

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Air cooled heat pump coupled with Horizontal Air-Ground Heat Exchanger (HAGHE) for Zero Energy Buildings in the Mediterranean climate

Energy Procedia ◽

10.1016/j.egypro.2017.11.118 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 140 ◽

pp. 2-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Cristina Baglivo ◽

Paolo Maria Congedo ◽

Domenico Laforgia

Keyword(s):

Heat Exchanger ◽

Heat Pump ◽

Mediterranean Climate ◽

Ground Heat Exchanger ◽

Zero Energy ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Zero Energy Buildings

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Effects and Economic Sustainability of Biochar Application on Corn Production in a Mediterranean Climate

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26113313 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (11) ◽

pp. 3313

Author(s):

Juan Luis Aguirre ◽

María Teresa Martín ◽

Sergio González ◽

Manuel Peinado

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Mediterranean Climate ◽

Cost Savings ◽

Value Added ◽

Field Trials ◽

Economic Sustainability ◽

Corn Production ◽

Enhanced Production ◽

Wet Weight ◽

The Mediterranean

The effects of two types of biochar on corn production in the Mediterranean climate during the growing season were analyzed. The two types of biochar were obtained from pyrolysis of Pinus pinaster. B1 was fully pyrolyzed with 55.90% organic carbon, and B2 was medium pyrolyzed with 23.50% organic carbon. B1 and B2 were supplemented in the soil of 20 plots (1 m2) at a dose of 4 kg/m2. C1 and C2 (10 plots each) served as control plots. The plots were automatically irrigated and fertilizer was not applied. The B1-supplemented plots exhibited a significant 84.58% increase in dry corn production per square meter and a 93.16% increase in corn wet weight (p << 0.001). Corn production was no different between B2-supplemented, C1, and C2 plots (p > 0.01). The weight of cobs from B1-supplemented plots was 62.3%, which was significantly higher than that of cobs from C1 and C2 plots (p < 0.01). The grain weight increased significantly by 23% in B1-supplemented plots (p < 0.01) and there were no differences between B2-supplemented, C1, and C2 plots. At the end of the treatment, the soil of the B1-supplemented plots exhibited increased levels of sulfate, nitrate, magnesium, conductivity, and saturation percentage. Based on these results, the economic sustainability of this application in agriculture was studied at a standard price of €190 per ton of biochar. Amortization of this investment can be achieved in 5.52 years according to this cost. Considering the fertilizer cost savings of 50% and the water cost savings of 25%, the amortization can be achieved in 4.15 years. If the price of biochar could be reduced through the CO2 emission market at €30 per ton of non-emitted CO2, the amortization can be achieved in 2.80 years. Biochar markedly improves corn production in the Mediterranean climate. However, the amortization time must be further reduced, and enhanced production must be guaranteed over the years with long term field trials so that the product is marketable or other high value-added crops must be identified.

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