REX Centre Refurbishment Implementing a Zero Carbon Future - Doing More With Less

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/friday-panel-the-population-debate/3056752

http://www.climatechange.gov.au/international/international-action/global-context-australias-place

http://visual.ly/global-carbon-footprint

REX Centre Refurbishment Implementing a Zero Carbon Future - Doing More With Less

Building Re-use and Integration of Building Form and Volume The substantial thermal mass of the building has been adapted to beneficially stabilise the internal temperature of the occupied spaces and

present a comfortable working and collaborative environment throughout the year.

As a result of the ‘office’ portion of the building being earth-banked, access to natural daylight and connectivity to the external environment

has been created by the inclusion of lightwells and external green spaces.

The existing double/triple height volumes have been integrated into the environmental design by allowing hot, stale air to congregate at high

level for extraction while the occupied levels are supplied with 100% fresh air to deliver the exemplar standards of a ‘WELL’ building

The double height lightwells have automated opening portions linked to air-quality (CO2) sensors to ventilate the stale air from the building

without the need for a mechanical extract/fan driven system. The same system allows for night-cooling of the thermal mass during summer

without the need for a mechanical cooling system.

Reusing the building structure ensures the REX Centre maximises the opportunity to reduce unnecessary construction waste and preserve

community identity and connectivity to heritage. Integrated Solar Photo-voltaic Panels Integration of a 15kW roof-mounted solar photovoltaic array on the north aspect of the existing roof

o Off-sets close to 20% of electrical demand of the building o Delivers a 97% array efficiency, meaning 97% of all energy produced is available and utilised to directly off-set the building electrical

demand, the remainder is exported t the grid. The mixed-use nature of the building improves load-mapping opportunities (based on the expected operational profile for the different

spaces) maximising the beneficial use of the solar energy generated, reducing export to gird and the need for dedicated (battery) energy

storage. Modelled Improvement Strategies Enhanced thermal insulation on the roof of the building to minimise heat-loss, gas consumption and energy running costs throughout the

year while improve internal comfort.

High efficiency light fittings have been selected with daylight/motion detection sensors throughout the building with addressable control

systems to provide a ‘soft’ lighting environment Gas hydronic heating systems deliver efficient heating to the building. As heating is a substantial energy requirement for the building

throughout the year, this philosophy results in a low operational carbon footprint.

o High efficiency direct-fired gas boilers, reaching efficiencies greater than 95% o 24/7 continuous heating operations during winter season

Continuous space heating operation results in better control of internal temperature, heating up of the building's substantial

thermal mass and results in a significantly smaller boiler plant size Future Proofing of the Building via Micro-turbine Integration Co-generation of electrical energy and waste heat recovery from a gas-powered microturbine engine of-sets the electricity that would

traditionally be drawn from the grid while providing zero-carbon heating without the need to operate the boiler system.

Having the ability to produce electricity for the building will provide resilience in the event of a power failure to the local electricity network

and reduce the demand on the external electrical grid during periods of high usage.

Similarly the boiler heating system will operate as a stand-by during periods where the micro-turbine is not operating off of a single gas

supply to both systems. Future Proofing of the Building using ‘Clean’ Anaerobic Digestion gas Potentially in the near future, the installation proposed at the Daylesford Transfer Station will decompose organic matter and clean it up to a

level that will allow combustion within a micro-turbine engine. Transporting this ‘clean’ ‘green’ gas for consumption within the building’s

micro-turbine and boiler plant will result in the building delivering a net carbon neutral operation.

Iterative Improvement Comparison

Recommended Design Fresh-air supply supplemented with natural ventilation Utilise high volume and heavy thermal mass for passive cooling Hydronic radiator heating operating 24/7 Photovoltaic roof installation shielding building from direct solar gain Gas-fired turbine exporting electricity and producing zero carbon heating Utilising bio-gas will deliver a zero carbon building in operation

1,500mm

2,000mm

4,000mm

400mm

7th Making Cities Liveable Conference

7th Making Cities Liveable Conference

7th Making Cities Liveable Conference

84kg of material was decomposed

10 hours decomposition time

6 litres a minute of gas on average

3.6m3 of methane collected after 10 hours

Equates to 120m3 – 150m3 of methane 3 tonnes of waste a day

Or a 65 kW engine for 6 hours 300 kW – 400 kW of recovered heat

Methane

Water

Capital Cost $405k

Electricity

Heating

Capital Cost $790k

Collected / Converted

Organic Waste

Daylesford Hub

Reduced Waste to Landfill

Predicted Increase in Energy Costs

Fertilised Digestate

18,000 m2 solar heating plant

Marstal District Heating, Ærø

High-tech energy plant. Waste incineration plant, inaugurated 2003, situated in Esbjerg in the western part of Denmark

http://www.dbdh.dk/artikel.asp?id=464&mid=24

http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/05/12/renewables-are-not-sufficient-p2/

http://bravenewclimate.com/2013/07/16/new-critique-aemo-100pc-renew/

Lot 162, Jack Road Cheltenham

Wall Thermal Improvement

10%

Energy

Saving

3%

Energy

Increase

-10,000

-9,000

-8,000

-7,000

-6,000

-5,000

-4,000

-3,000

-2,000

-1,000

0

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

WoL Payback per Fabric Element (Walls)

Heating and Cooling Improvment Adjusted Heating only Saving

Type Typical module

efficiency *

Area Requirement

High-performance hybrid 20%-22% 6 - 7m2/kWp

Monocrystalline silicone 15%-18% 7 - 8m2/kWp

Polycrystalline silicone 12%-14% 7 - 8m2/kWp

Thin-film CIS 6%-10% 14-18m2/kWp

Mark Barrie: Design Director for Form Engineers specialising

in Low Carbon Infrastructure and Off-Grid Building Design

M:- 0435 715 859

E:- m.barrie@formengineers.com.au

Thank-you for your time.

Energy from (Organic) Waste Implementing a Zero Carbon Future - Doing More With Less