An ecological understanding of net-zero energy building: Evaluation of sustainability based on emergy theory

Yi, Hangmo; Srinivasan, Ravi S.; Braham, William W.; Tilley, David R.

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.059

Cited by 49 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In 2006, based on an empirical study of a zero-fossil fuel residential building in the US (Boston city), Szejnwald et al [24] found that innovation in building design can be one of the best ways to ensure energy performance. Yi et al [25] studied certain ecological indices, based on the performance of net zero-energy buildings (NZEB) on a worldwide scale. A rigorous text was applied, and the data were processed with high precision.…”

Section: Net Zero-energy Building (Nzeb)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards nearly zero-energy residential neighbourhoods in the European Union: A case study

Nematchoua

Nishimwe

Reiter

2021

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

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The European Union (EU) aims to establish a guideline that requires all new buildings to comply with nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB) by 2030. This decision involves new technologies based on concepts that meet international standards. This research aims to review the literature on 'net zero-energy building' and analyses the possibility of applying this research on nine statistically representative neighbourhoods of the building stock'in Belgium, depending on the built density. All the areas, grouped into four categories (urban, peri-urban, suburban, and rural neighbourhoods), were used for current energy consumption analysis and to evaluate prospective scenarios based on four major challenges, namely climate change, building renovations, photovoltaic panels, and sustainable mobility. In addition, a new approach combining several scenarios to further improve energy needs at the neighbourhood scale is also highlighted. The nine different types of neighbourhoods studied are commonly found in different countries across the EU. The average reduction in energy consumption of neighbourhoods (buildings + daily mobility) in 2040 (compared to reference year 2012) will likely reach 5.69% attributable to a 20% reduction in distances travelled, 6.48% to climate change, 12.95% to the current annual buildings renovation rate, 18.76%-100% electric cars, 22.26% for doubling the current buildings renovation rate, 31.62% and 63.25% to a light or heavy renovation of the entire building stock, respectively. Moreover, installing 20 m 2 of solar panels on the rooftops of each residential building would produce renewable energy equivalent to 6.53% of the current global energy consumption. Finally, the results show that more than 90% of current energy consumption can be reduced at the neighbourhood scale (buildings + daily mobility) by combining a heavy renovation of all the buildings, electric vehicles, and photovoltaic panels. This scenario allows reaching the 'nearly zero-energy' target at the neighbourhood scale.

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Section: Net Zero-energy Building (Nzeb)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards nearly zero-energy residential neighbourhoods in the European Union: A case study

Nematchoua

Nishimwe

Reiter

2021

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

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“…By integrating the energy method and emergy approach, a comprehensive methodology was developed by Hwang et al to study the optimal building form [18]. Hwang et al (2017) [19] also utilized a series of indices to evaluate the sustainability of a net-zero energy building based on the global environmental perspective. To have the entire demonstration of building sustainability, Hwang et al (2017) attempted to integrate the emergy method and information metrics and simulate the environment of the building model [20,21].…”

Section: Emergy Analysis Of Construction Of Buildings and Pavements In Chinamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Approach to Calculate Unit Emergy Values of Cement Manufacturing in China Using Consumption Quota of Dry and Wet Raw Materials

2020

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The Chinese cement industry produced 2150 million metric tons of cement in 2014, accounting for 58.1% of the world’s total. This industry has a hugely destructive effect on the environment owing to its pollution. The environmental impact of cement manufacturing is a major concern for China. Although researchers have attempted to estimate impacts using life cycle assessment approaches, it lacks the ability to provide a holistic evaluation of the impacts on the environment. Emergy analysis, through ecological accounting, offers environmental decision making using elaborate book keeping. In spite of the high environmental impact of the cement industry, there has only been a handful of research work done to compute the unit emergy values (UEVs) of cement manufacturing in China. A thorough study of existing UEVs of cement manufacturing in China showed pitfalls that may lead to inaccurate estimations if used in emergy analysis. There is a strong need for a new, updated UEV for cement manufacturing in China, particularly reflecting both the dry and wet raw materials in the manufacturing process. This paper develops a methodology to calculate the nonrenewable resources used in cement manufacturing, particularly using mainstream cement production line. Our systematic approach-based UEV estimates of cement manufacturing in China using the quota method are 2.56 × 1012 sej/kg (wet material) and 2.46 × 1012 sej/kg (dry material). Emergy indicators such as environmental loading ratios which were calculated at 2390 (wet material) and 2300 (dry material); emergy yield ratios at 15.7 and 15.8; and emergy sustainability indices at 0.0066 and 0.0069 for dry and wet materials used in cement manufacturing, respectively; these show the immense impact on the environment in China.

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“…Farizkha et al [39] observed that green and low-carbon urban infrastructure and sustainable public transport are indicators of artificial environmental dimensions. Yi et al [40] proposed zero-energy green buildings as an ideal choice for achieving sustainable environmental development, ensuring the symbiotic development of buildings and other environmental systems and enhancing the comfort of human settlements.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing A Sustainable Urban-Environmental Quality Evaluation System in China Based on A Hybrid Model

Shao

Weng

Liou

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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In China, with the acceleration of urbanization, people pay more attention to the quality of urban environment. Air pollution, vegetation destruction, water waste and pollution, and waste sorting have restricted the sustainable development of urban environment. It is important to evaluate the impact of these environmental concerns as a prerequisite to implement an effective urban environmental sustainability policy. The aim of this paper is to establish a system for evaluating sustainable urban environmental quality in China. We extracted six dimensions and 29 criteria for assessing urban sustainable environment. Then, a fuzzy technique and the best worst method were applied to obtain the weights for the dimensions and criteria. Next, grey possibility values were applied to evaluate the sustainable environmental quality of five cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou in China. A sensitivity analysis was performed to identify how the ranking of these five cities changed when varying the weights of each criterion. The results show that pollution control, the natural environment, and water management are the three most important dimensions for urban environmental quality evaluation. We suggest that controlling pollutant emissions, strengthening food waste management, improving clean production processes, and utilizing heat energy are the effective measures to improve the urban environment and achieve sustainable urban environmental development.

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An ecological understanding of net-zero energy building: Evaluation of sustainability based on emergy theory

Cited by 49 publications

References 24 publications

Towards nearly zero-energy residential neighbourhoods in the European Union: A case study

Towards nearly zero-energy residential neighbourhoods in the European Union: A case study

A Systematic Approach to Calculate Unit Emergy Values of Cement Manufacturing in China Using Consumption Quota of Dry and Wet Raw Materials

Developing A Sustainable Urban-Environmental Quality Evaluation System in China Based on A Hybrid Model

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