Introduction

Globally, buildings consume a substantial percentage of energy in the form of electrical and heat energy. While the energy load requirements may vary with each building, medium and large buildings are cited to have the highest load requirements in the building category. To achieve sustainable development, renewable energy sources must play an increasingly active role in the satisfaction of energy requirements of buildings. In addition, buildings must utilize available energy more effectively and efficiently.

Renewable energy is characterized by the continued self-regeneration with use without the risk of depletion or harm to the environment. Currently the larger portion of energy consumed in building utilities is derived from fossil fuels, hydroelectric power and nuclear installations (Donnelly & Boyle, 2006, p. 152). This paper is an overview of researches that have been done on some buildings in Sydney about sustainability in the electrical field. It discusses ways in which the limited but highly sustainable renewable energy can be harnessed and used in buildings to reduce and perhaps eliminate the use of non-renewable energy for the same. To achieve this end, features in the design, construction of the buildings must be adapted for high rates of utilization of the available renewable energy sources (Donnelly & Boyle 2006, p. 153).

Sustainable and its Importance to Buildings

The sustainable to buildings aims to create an extensive understanding of the elements influencing the sustainability of buildings and to offer skills to design, build and manage energy efficient and lasting structures. The present needs for current buildings and new ones poses a great threat for engineers. Similarly, structures have to be healthy for people to use while being of a lesser burden to the natural resources (Raphael, 2011, 393). A good example is the promotion made by the EU in their political campaigns to create energy efficiency. To meet the challenge posed calls for experts and skills, like compare varied structures and design a solution for the indoor setting and energy efficiency. A good example is the design applied in some laboratories that integrate chilled beams with the help of a ventilation system that makes use of dual energy recovery (Barry and Barnet, 2008, p. 28). Additional, solar heating and cooling helps through conversion of the irradiation using a solar collector field. The expert can evaluate the environmental impact of the structure with help of environmental tools (Calise, Denticed’Accadia, Palombo, and Vanoli, 2013, 72; Raphael, 2011, 396). For instance, the use of Building Management System offers a complex and combined energy saving roles with regard the use of the structure (Martirano, 2011, p. 132). The skills required for an integrated lighting system would be an electric lighting control plan. This offers efficiency in energy use. The building site with the skills of a sustainable engineer, can use recycled products, limit waste and avoid damages to the setting. As a manager, they are able to limit the application of energy and other resources and where to get new operations in a sustainable process. Focus will now be directed on the renewable energy sources and how they can be efficiency used.

Discussion
Renewable energy sources

The lighting requirements for buildings predominantly utilize electrical energy. For instance, in Europe research has estimated the electricity consumed by buildings for electrical requirements to average 40% of total electricity. (Martirano 2011, p. 132). Energy saving measures compliment the use of renewable energy since renewable energy is limited. Optimization of electrical utilities, with regard to efficiency and effectiveness, is therefore a paramount consideration. Several measures in design of buildings, utility installations and energy capturing devices technologies have been implemented successfully in buildings. These measures directly lead to lower energy costs and electrical requirements through use of renewable energy in the lighting of buildings through geometrical alterations (Raphael 2011, p. 352).

One such measure is daylighting. Daylighting is the use of light from the sun to illuminate rooms in buildings. To achieve daylighting, buildings are architecturally designed to maximize the entry/ admittance of natural sunlight into the rooms.In addition; light shelves manufactured with high reflective surfaces are integrated into the building design (Raphael 2011, p. 392). Light shelves reflect sunlight into rooms. These are passive lighting controls and are permanent fixtures. Active daylighting involves the use of rotatable pivots for the light shelves that enable tracking of the sun increasing illumination levels (Raphael 2011, p. 393). For daylighting to be effective, control mechanisms must be installed to ensure that electrical lighting is minimized to supply illumination just sufficient to upset the deficit of natural light available from the sun in any particular space or room within the building.These controls should determine luminous flux available versus the required to achieve optimum illumination. Several building projects have achieved this through the installation of T5 lighting, which possess ballasts that can be, dimmed (Martirano 2011, p. 135).

To be fully effective in electrical energy consumption, metering and scheduling measures are also implemented. Metering ensures that the set limit of energy consumed at a given duration is not exceeded from the pre-set limit while scheduling involves the timed control of ignition and switch off lighting utilities (Donnelly & Boyle 2006, p. 153). Many street lighting installations adopt a solar sensitive photoelectric sensors to switch on and off.Smart lighting controls, effectively implemented enable energy savings of lighting of up to 25% in commercial or industrial buildings. When smart lighting controls are used in educational or tertiary settings, energy savings can reach 45% (Martirano 2011, p. 138).

Efficient use of energy

Harnessing the sun’s radiation to meet the heating needs for buildings, whether heating or specified operations within the building space has proven to be feasible in the long term though improved energy efficiency. Despite the initial capital costs, measures like active tri-generation plants promise high returns over the long term. In climates near the tropics and temperate zones, where direct radiation is considerably high, parabolic reflectors have proven too be feasible technologies in the space of concentration of heating and cooling through the use of solar energy (Calise et al. 2013, p. 73).

Occupancy of rooms refers to the presence or absence of individuals within a room or space. Electrical lighting should be provided, where required by individuals, only when a room or space is occupied by at least one person. To achieve occupancy controls installed designs include motion sensors to determine the presence of real persons in spaces therefore triggering the lighting units (Lang 2013). Overall, both occupancy and daylighting have actively minimized lighting costs in the project.

Thermal parabolic collectors have been enhanced by the inclusion of photovoltaic cells therefore serving the dual purpose of heating and generating electricity. In high efficiency models, tri-generation has been achieved through theuse of a double chillier absorption (Calise et al. 2013, p. 72). The provision of rooms/ spaces with cold air at a high air change rate per hour also requires specialized equipment and leads to high energy costs when conventional HVAC systems are used. The use of chilled beams, which serve the dual purpose of ventilation and cooling using solar energy, exemplify increasing use of renewable energy in HVAC (Barry & Barnet, 2008, p. 28).

The generation of hot water using solar energy coupled with the sub metering of energy has largely enhanced the reduction of greenhouse gases emission. Solar hot water panels. The reduction is when compared to the hot water generation design that would otherwise be in use based on the required standard practice and conformance to the Codes of Building in Australia (B.C.A). From solar hot water generation, expected drop in emissions for the two warehouses is 1760 tonnes annually of carbon.

Conclusion

This report has discussed the ways in which the limited but highly sustainable renewable energy can be harnessed and used in buildings to reduce and minimize the use of non-renewable energy. The two main themes (efficiency of energy use and the use of renewable energy sources) have been evaluated within the context of feasible sustainability.The cited examples of renewable energy sources technologies have promising potential benefits both monetary and ecological when efficiently and effectively utilized.

Reference List

Barry, M. and Barnet, P.E., 2008. Chilled beams for labs. ASHRAE Journal, December 2008. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc, pp.28-37.

Calise, F., Denticed’Accadia, M., Palombo, A. and Vanoli, L.., 2013. Dynamic simulation of a novel high-temperature solar trigeneration system based on concentrating photovoltaic/thermal collectors. Energy 61, pp.72-86.

Donnelly, R. and Boyle, C., 2006. The Catch-22 of Engineering Sustainable Development.Journal of Environmental Engineering ASCE,February Issue132, pp.149-155.

Lang, J., 2013. The Key Spec 1, Keysborough VIC. Green Building Council Australia, [online] Available at:<http://www.gbca.org.au/green-star/green-building-case-studies/the-key-spec-1-keysborough-vic/35053.htm> [Accessed 19 November 2013].

Martirano, L. A., 2011. Smart Lighting Control to Save Energy. The 6^th IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Data Acquisition and Advanced Computing Systems: Technology and Applications, September 2011.

Raphael, B., 2011. Active Control of Daylighting Features in Buildings. Computer Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, 26, pp.393-405.

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