Building as Power Producers: A Bright Idea

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Johannesburg, South Africa (August 13, 2024) – Who would have thought that the terms “total blackout” or “loadshedding” would ever form part of regular vocabulary? Whether caused by inadequate infrastructure or extreme weather events due to climate change, the need to transform fossil-fuel based power supplies to more sustainable sources is evident.

According to the World Economic Forum, buildings are responsible for 40% of global energy consumption and 33% of greenhouse gas emissions.¹ But, contrary to what you may think, buildings also provide the key to our future energy security. 

Eva-Last, global leaders in composite building materials, examines the shift of buildings from mass consumers of energy to micro-producers of power:

The proliferation of buildings worldwide provides an opportunity to expand the grid without expanding infrastructure. This can be achieved by turning buildings into micro-power stations that generate, store and redistribute renewable energy on-site.

These micro energy-hubs will balance – and supplement the grid using Demand Response (DR) management, transforming the existing energy market into a decentralised, responsive system driven by clean, renewable energy supplies.

This interconnected network will expand organically, comprising not only new ‘green’ projects coming online, but also retrofitted facilities incorporating innovative technologies such as smart metres, load-control devices and advanced phase-change composite materials.

Converting buildings into mini power stations will facilitate faster expansion of renewable energy and support electrification of vehicles, accelerating the decarbonisation of the power, transport and building sectors. By replacing harmful fossil-fuels with renewable energy generated by our buildings, we secure our energy supply whilst effectively reducing the negative impact of the three largest energy consumers and polluters of the planet.

Building performance requirements drive new buildings towards net-zero energy levels integrating small-scale renewable energy systems such as heat pumps, Photovoltaic (PV) panels or wind turbines.

Coupled with lithium-iron (Li-Fe) batteries and other storage systems including solar geysers, geothermal heat tanks and smart material technologies hidden within the building envelope, flexible demand management systems monitor operating loads to absorb or release energy as needed. This shift in how energy can be generated, stored and used in buildings is changing buildings from being mass consumers of energy into micro-producers of power.

Instead of steering the supply side to increase generation, Demand Response (DR) systems encourage users to shift or control their consumption patterns through price signals and co-generation using renewable energy.

The biggest challenge is balancing generating capacity with sufficient storage to maximise energy availability whilst minimising waste. Excess power can be fed back into the grid or stored to balance energy supply during peak loads or seasonal variations.

The economies of scale achievable by user-driven storage, coupled with enhanced control, will significantly reduce costs whilst powering energy security. The World Energy Council predicts a 70% decrease in the cost of batteries over the next fifteen years.²​

Solar electricity generated by Independent Power Producers (IPP) is expected to outperform current retail electricity utility providers. Figures revealed a 15% year on year growth in the EU in 2015, with over 25% market growth reported globally. ³​

Traditional green building methods and materials emphasise a net-zero environmental impact in the building envelope. Passive design principles prioritise improved insulation and energy efficiency to reduce heating, cooling, ventilation (HVAC) and lighting requirements while still providing comfort and control. Modern material selection favours recycled or eco-friendly renewables such as bamboo-plastic composites from Eva-Last to deliver cladding that is designed to offer both insulation and ventilation of the building, conserving energy consumption. In terms of performance, the emphasis has been on balancing supply and demand of electricity or water through the installation of Photovoltaic (PV) panels, LED lighting and sensors, and/or rainwater-harvesting or grey-water systems to conserve natural resources.

However, this net-zero concept has evolved to a net-positive prerequisite. Buildings are now expected to make a positive contribution beyond their primary purpose, including sharing their power produced.

Studies show the quickest, most efficient and cost-effective method to achieve a net-positive impact is through digital tools that adjust the building to its occupants based on real-time data analysis.

These tools include smart metres, smart thermostats, lighting control and load control devices. They are connected to an Energy Management System (EMS) that enables Demand Response (DR). These ultra-efficient autonomous buildings can be remotely managed to balance the supply or storage of energy according to the demand.

Domestic geysers with timers powered by solar panels are good examples of smart tech combined with smart materials. Users can monitor and control their water heating patterns based on real-time performance of their solar system from their mobile phone.

More than 200 million buildings in the EU, or 75% of building stock, are energy inefficient. A Schneider Electric value system analysis showed that a 20% shift in heating towards heat pump applications will reduce CO2 emissions by 9% alone.⁴ 

Adopting smart digital technologies and advanced composite materials have proven to be more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly than increasing infrastructure. What’s more, capital expenses can be recouped within five years compared to 15 years for passive insulation.

Increasingly, advanced phase-change materials with hi-tech properties or biofibres are being developed to increase the energy-efficiency of buildings even further.

What’s more, the extensive potential to generate, store or convert energy from the building materials themselves is largely untapped.

Material manufacturers such as Eva-Last incorporate the latest material technology in their composite product portfolio to enhance their performance properties. Considering the thermal regulation properties of their bamboo-plastic base compound to improvements such as Glass-Fibre Reinforced (GFR) or lightweight aluminium hollow-core beams, the company is constantly innovating in line with cutting-edge developments. What’s to stop them engineering new hi-tech materials embedded with sensors that can generate or store energy from the structure itself?

Watch this space.