Energy system retrofit in a public services building

Abstract

Purpose Taking into account the current relevance of the concept of smart city connected with the Internet of Things, this work aims to study the implementation of this concept by applying a new energy model in an existing public building. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the sustainability and energy autonomy of the building. Design/methodology/approach The building referred to in the case study is a library, and simulations related to the ongoing study are based on an energy audit, comprising a survey on electrical and thermal energy consumption. The innovative proposed model consists of a mix of energy production processes based on photovoltaic panels and biomass boilers. Economic analysis of the energy model has already yielded some results regarding the payback on investment, as well as avoided emissions in the context of development of a low-carbon economy with avoided emissions and socioeconomic advantages. Findings It is possible to enhance the sustainability of the library studied by the retrofit of the current energy system. With the integration of photovoltaic panels and the conversion or replacement of boilers from natural gas to biomass, the GHG emissions could drop around 121 t CO2 per year. Another benefit would be the inclusion of endogenous resources over imported energy resources. The payback period for the measures proposed ranges from 2.5 to 8 years, proving that the increase in environmental sustainability is viable. Originality/value The intention here is to implement the concept of smart city, in more sustainable buildings, bringing them to the lowest possible energy consumption levels, hence increasing performance and comfort. Also, taking into account that the energy-consuming buildings are already constructed, it is urgent to reconvert them to lower the use of energy and emissions using technologies based on renewable energy, boosting the use of local resources.

Internet of Things and its applications in libraries: a literature review

“…The data can be used for restraining the issues and addressing noise sources. Galvao et al (2017) proposed a new energy model in managing public building energy use to enhance the sustainability of library, through the retrofit of the current energy system, based on concept of the IoT in smart cities. This model consists of a mix of energy generation processes based on photovoltaic panels and biomass boilers.…”

Guest editorial

“…Beyond the focus on environmental protection and regulation, the concept of sharing economy has provided a new conceptual framework to handle complex, interlinked economic, social and environmental developments (Heinrichs, 2013). The literature shows transdisciplinary and transformative research and development in concrete areas of the sharing economy such as housing, mobility or transport, machine tool use, public spaces, etc., to support the expansion of the sharing economy (Ayoo, 2007; Galvão et al , 2017; Yao et al , 2019).…”

Integrated energy carbon emission monitoring and digital management system for smart cities

“…Aujla et al (2018) proposed a multi-leader and multi-follower Stackelberg game for energy trading, and designed multi-parameter pricing through parameters such as electricity consumption and usage time. Considering the relevance of IoT-connected smart city concepts, Galvo et al (2017) aimed to improve the sustainability and energy autonomy of buildings by applying new energy models in existing public buildings. The idea of a smart city is to seek to improve the lives of these city dwellers by utilizing high-capacity modern means of communication.…”