From Nearly Zero Energy to Carbon-Neutral: Case Study of a Hospitality Building

In recent years, many cities around the world have pledged to upgrade their building stocks to carbon-neutral. However, the literature does not yet provide a shared definition of carbon-neutral building (CNB), and the assessment objectives and methodological approaches are vague and fragmented. Starting from the available standards and scientific literature on life cycle assessment (LCA), this paper advances an operational definition for CNB on the basis of an explicit calculation approach. It then applies the definition to an urban case study, comparing it against a state-of-the-art nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) scenario, with the intent of highlighting the major practical limitations connected to the application of a methodologically sound carbon neutrality calculation. The case study shows that carbon neutral objectives can hardly be achieved by single urban buildings because of the lack of spaces that can provide onsite carbon offsetting actions. Carbon neutrality may be better approached at the city, regional, or national scales, where overarching policies may be defined.

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Review of Zero Energy Building Concept-Definition and Developments in Latin America: A Framework Definition for Application in Panama

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14185647 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (18) ◽

pp. 5647

Author(s):

Miguel Chen Austin ◽

Katherine Chung-Camargo ◽

Dafni Mora

Keyword(s):

Latin American ◽

Minimum Energy ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Zero Energy ◽

Photovoltaic Generation ◽

Zero Energy Building ◽

Concept Definition ◽

Definition Of ◽

Latin American Countries

In recent decades, European countries have developed concepts, definitions, and construction technologies for Zero Energy Building (ZEB) that are effective and correspond to their specific climates. Latin American countries are still trying to find adequate solutions which respond to the local climatic, cultural, social, technical, and economic context. As such, this paper aims to establish the basis of the minimum energy efficiency and the renewable threshold for the definition of ZEB in order to better understand the application in Panama, based on assessing the energy regulations implemented in Panama. To achieve this aim, a review concentrated on the concept-definition and implementation adopted by Latin American countries is presented first before the paper converges into defining a framework for application in Panama. Finally, a case-study-based theoretical framework proposing a ZEB definition for Panama is discussed. The results of this study showed a net primary energy balance, of which the range falls into a plus energy building definition, indicating that all of the cases studied could supply their electricity needs using Photovoltaic generation. All dwellings studied have the potential to become a plus energy building, depending on the available roof surface area. Finally, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis is presented in order to assess and support the introduction of such a ZEB definition and framework.

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Pathways to Carbon-Neutral Cities Prior to a National Policy

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12062445 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 2445 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jani Laine ◽

Jukka Heinonen ◽

Seppo Junnila

Keyword(s):

Carbon Emissions ◽

Energy Production ◽

National Policy ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Production Capacity ◽

Electricity Production ◽

Carbon Neutrality ◽

Carbon Neutral ◽

Definition Of ◽

The City

Some cities have set carbon neutrality targets prior to national or state-wide neutrality targets, which makes the shift to carbon neutrality more difficult, as the surrounding system does not support this. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate different options for a progressive city to reach carbon neutrality in energy prior to the surrounding system. The study followed the C40 Cities definition of a carbon-neutral city and used the City of Vantaa in Finland as a progressive case aiming for carbon neutrality by 2030, five years before the national target for carbon neutrality. The study mapped the carbon neutrality process based on City documents and national statistics, and validated it through process-owner interviews. It was identified that most of the measures in the carbon neutrality process were actually outside the jurisdiction of the City, which outsources the responsibility for the majority of carbon neutrality actions to either private properties or national actors with broader boundaries. The only major measure in the City’s direct control was the removal of carbon emissions from municipal district heat production, which potentially represent 30% of the City’s reported carbon emissions and 58% of its energy-related carbon emissions. Interestingly, the City owns electricity production capacity within and beyond the city borders, but it doesn’t allocate it for itself. Allocation would significantly increase the control over the City’s own actions regarding carbon neutrality. Thus, it is proposed that cities aiming for carbon neutrality should promote and advance allocable carbon-free energy production, regardless of geographical location, as one of the central methods of achieving carbon neutrality.

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Energy and thermal modeling of building façade integrated photovoltaics

Thermal Science ◽

10.2298/tsci170905025o ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (Suppl. 3) ◽

pp. 921-932 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Konstantinos Ordoumpozanis ◽

Theodoros Theodosiou ◽

Dimitrios Bouris ◽

Katerina Tsikaloudaki

Keyword(s):

Electricity Generation ◽

Measured Data ◽

Building Envelope ◽

Zero Energy ◽

Large Area ◽

Finite Volume Model ◽

Volume Model ◽

Urban Buildings ◽

Zero Energy Building ◽

Integrated Performance

Electricity generation on site is a design challenge aiming at supporting the concept of energy-autonomous building. Many projects worldwide have promoted the installation of photovoltaic panels on urban buildings, aiming at utilizing a large area to produce electricity. In most cases, photovoltaics are considered strictly as electricity generators, neglecting their effect to the efficiency and to the thermal behaviour of the building envelope. The integrated performance of photovoltaic ventilated fa?ades, where the photovoltaics are regarded as part of a complicated envelope system, provides design challenges and problems that cannot be overlooked within the framework of the Nearly Zero Energy Building concept. In this study, a finite volume model for photovoltaic ventilated fa?ades is developed, experimentally validated and found to have a significant convergence to measured data.

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UM ESTUDO DE CASO SOBRE A IMPLANTAÇÃO DE UM AMBIENTE DE SEGURANÇA DE REDES DE COMPUTADORES

Revista de Sistemas e Computação - 2019V9N1 ◽

10.36558/22372903-2019v9n1-p8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 119-139

Keyword(s):

Network Management ◽

Computer Network ◽

City Hall ◽

Demilitarized Zone ◽

Local Areas ◽

It Department ◽

Secure Environment ◽

Definition Of ◽

The City

This paper presents a case study involving the deployment of a secure environment on the computer network at the City Hall in Palmeira das Missões - RS, throughout the definition of a physical and logical infrastructure, supported at concepts of management of computer networks and information security. Through the creation of Vlans (Virtual Local Areas Networks) and definition of DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) defined to achieve the level of security and network management required by the IT department, as well as provide greater reliability and integrity of information that travel on the network so that the users can perform their tasks more dynamically in a secure and agile environment. The main contribution of this case study was the implementation of a security and management in the computer network at the City Hasll in Palmeira das Missões – RS.

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