Robert Graeme Paisley Unit Two: Technology Assessment 10. TASK 1.

What would be the best location within the square?

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2. Is there a benefit in installing a heat pump as well as solar PV? 3. Would a solar hot water system be better than solar PV? 4. Is a wind turbine a viable option? Before a site within the boundary can be identified, consideration needs to be applied to the theme surrounding the building discussed so far, alongside the requirements posed by the intended end use as a visitor centre and those of the user, woodland and hill walkers. Finding a balance between the market audience and the buildings infrastructure, the environments effect upon the building and reciprocally, the building upon the environment is crucial. In regards to this MacLeod (2010:211) i suggests, Buildings may be subject to their own particular micro-climate, and that this significantly affects the energy available. Furthermore, he continues; Logging actual site conditions prior to building design will result in a better performance. With this in mind, a building built sympathetically, implementing the available assets presented by the site, in not just broad vistas but through shelter and warmth from the prevailing wind and the best of British weather. The design therefore, should utilize the most effective practical measures for example; the ideals found within zero energy buildings and the incorporation of passive measuresii. Such factors would involve the effects of solar energy creating not only ample day lighting and electricity or hot water from solar photovoltaic and flat plate collectors respectfully, but also, the creation of air movement by varying pressure, enabling heat distribution through naturally occurring connective loopsiii. In general, passive measures would be both accommodating to the users comfort and considerate of the microclimate specific to the sites environment. Whilst it is not a possibility within this study to log site conditions, assumptions can be extrapolated from the map and its details: Figure 1: Site Map

Robert Graeme Paisley

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Firstly, it should be noted that this assessment is the concluding part of an ongoing narrative where by further details have previously been put forward, primarily in Assessment 7, and the general geographic location within the UK at the latitude 57o north. Moreover, the optimal direction the building should face in regards of a maximum solar yield was due south with the roof ridge running east/west. As can be seen in figure 1 above, there is an area of forest running from the north east to south west of the site forming a shelterbelt around the building site from the prevalent westerly windsiv as well as from the worst winter weather. Forming a wind brake, the forest would also have various effects upon the sites microclimate some positive some negative all in relevance to the tree height as detailed belowv. Unit Two: Technology Assessment 10. Figure 2: The Shelterbelt Effect.

Positive Effects Within the windbreak height and up to a distance of 8H: Forms a sheltered quiet zone. Higher daytime temperatures. Warmer ground surface temperature.

Negative Effects Outwith the windbreak height and beyond the distance of 8H: Lower evening temperatures. Solar radiation reductions up to 1 to 2H due to shading. Turbulence caused in the trees wake. Colder surface temperatures.

With this in mind, and in accordance with the site map (figure 1) where the site boundary to the south eastern corner falls an estimated 60 meters from the forest edge alongside, Observations of forest stand by Heiko Balzter et al (2007)vi in Thetford Forest (Latitude 52.5o) where their research suggests that tree height peaks at around 20 meters, in reference to figure 2 below, the optimum positioning allowing for over shadowing falls between 40-60 meters from the forest edge when, the approximate height of the building at 8 meters is taken into consideration. This corresponds in part to the guidelines outlined by MacLeod (2010:208) vii in Heat and Buildings that to optimize accessible energy, obstacles of two stories should stand at least 12 meters away from the building.

Robert Graeme Paisley

Figure 3: The Shelterbelt Result
20 18 16 14 12 Height10 8 6 4 2 0

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20

40

60

Distanc e

80

100

120

140

160

Quiet Zone

Shelterbelt Shadow

Building

Robert Graeme Paisley Unit Two: Technology Assessment 10.

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Therefore, integrating all of the preceding into figure 4 below, the building site should fall within the green triangle, favouring the south eastern boundary to maximize the effects of solar gain against the rising land to the east and west and allowing for the forest ascending westward. Figure 4: Site Location.

Among the details of the Shelterbelt Effect in figure 2 above, was mention of higher day time and warmer ground surface temperatures. When viewed alongside the mean annual earth and air temperatures of 10.2oC and 10oCviii respectfully, the beneficial relation to the overall energy requirements of the building and the aspect of mitigation underlying a zero carbon building could be exploited by the use of a heat pump. Heat pumps are available in two general forms, either a ground source heat pump (GSHP) or alternatively, an air source heat pump (ASHP). Although, other formats do exist within i.e. the reverse cycle chiller, void of the backup burner typically found in ASHPix as well as, closed or open looped systems present within GSHP. Whilst a GSHP may have a higher capital set up costx, the coefficient of performance (COP) can be around two times more effective than those of an ASHP xi due to more constant temperatures found below ground, than present within routinely fluctuating air temperaturesxii. Furthermore, as touched upon within assessment 8, assuming insulation to an average depth of 200mm, and that double glazing occupies 20% of the total wall area, the total building power loss equates to, 1.837 kW. If a ground source heat pump with an output of 1.9 kWs was installed alongside a solar photovoltaic (PV) system it is ascertainable that even in maintaining a constant internal temperature of 20oC, a COP rating of 4.4 is achievable, requiring an electric input of 0.432 kW a degree of power that could be provided by two of the previously investigated solar PV systems particularly, the commercially available Polycrystalline system and just outwith the capacity of the Amorphous type. (See figure 5 below) Figure 5. PV Type and Mean Power Gain Total Power Gain (kW) for

Robert Graeme Paisley

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PV Type Polycrystalline Amorphous Nanosolar Thin Film

1.13 4 0.42 1 1.58

It is worthy here to mention that whilst a solar PV system in comparison to solar hot water is currently more expensive, (see figure 6 below for details) the predominant difference falls towards the products end use. Solar HW systems are generally suited to supplying between 60 and 70% of domestic hot water although, not as a contribution for the central heating systemxiii as would be the case in the proposed building. However, if on the scale outlined, in the best case scenario, 70% of the buildings heat loss is representative of 1.286 kW leaving the remaining 30%, 0.551 kW to be contributed by another electrical power source; although marginal it would have an adverse annual effect of 1322.76 kW presumably upon the imported hydrogen. Figure 6. Solar types and Costs Cost (m2) 315 449 700 570 100

Solar Type Flat plate Evacuated tube Polycrystalline Amorphous Nanosolar Thin Film

Acknowledging the ideals surrounding a zero carbon building particularly relating to the power issues arising in the prior discussion surrounding hydrogen in assessment 9, as stored energy along with, the short fall of solar PV panels as a constant electricity supply, wind may provide in part or solely the required energy source to accomplish the electrochemical processes required by the hydrogen system. Whilst the forest can be beneficial in terms of its microclimate, with regards to wind and the detail shown in figure 2, the forest, aside from the surroundings hills, is a major contributor of localized turbulence. As such, the occurrence of turbulence would suit the operation of a vertical axis wind turbine e.g. the Maxi Vertical Wind Rotor 6kW,xiv with a cut in wind speed of 3 m/sxv and a rated output of 6kW at 14 m/s it would seem like an optimum solution. However, at the latitude of 52 degrees north, covering the central belt of England and Wales, weather patterns are relatively calm in comparison to higher latitudes. With mean wind speeds in the region of 4.16 m/s at 10 metersxvi rising marginally to 5-8 m/s at 25 metersxvii would mean that an overall turbine height of 8.4 meters would incur too marginal a power output to be effective for hydrogen production and therefore, returning to the proposition of hydrogen in assessment nine, as that of an imported energy carrier.

69.28m2

Robert Graeme Paisley Reference List:

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MacLeod (2010:211) Thermal mass: Heat in buildings: Section 10 MacLeod: Overview of Energy Use: Saving Energy: Buildings: 8.3 New Building Design iii MacLeod (2010:208) Passive solar: Heat in buildings: Section 10 iv Prevalent Winds [Online] Available: http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Britain/Weather.htm (June 2011) v Effect of Shelterbelts on Microclimate [Online] Available: http://www.farmforestline.com.au/pages/2.2.1.2.1_effect.html (June 2011) vi Observations of forest stand [Online] Available: https://lra.le.ac.uk/bitstream/2381/4526/1/IJRS-Balztertreeheight-Thetford-in-press.pdf (June 2011) vii MacLeod (2010:208) Passive solar: Heat in buildings: Section 10 viii Annual Air Temperature [Online} Available: http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/sse/retscreen.cgi? email=rets%40nrcan.gc.ca&step=1&lat=52.47&lon=-1.36&submit=Submit (June 2011) ix Other kinds of heat pumps [Online] Available: http://home.howstuffworks.com/homeimprovement/heating-and-cooling/heat-pump3.htm (June 2011) x Geothermal heat pump [Online] Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_heat_pump (June 2011) xi Geothermal heat pump [Online] Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_heat_pump (June 2011) xii MacLeod (2010:192) Installing a heat pump: Solar Hot Water Systems and Heat Pumps: Section 9 xiii Macleod (2010) 4. Solar Energy: Renewable Energy Systems: Overview of Energy Use: Section 6 xiv Maxi Vertical Wind Rotor 6kW[Online] Available: http://www.bwea.com/small/equipment.html (June 2011) xv Maxi Vertical [Online] Available: http://www.ropatec.com/download/EN_datasheet.pdf (June 2010) xvi Mean wind speed: 2010 archive [Online] Available: http://burtonweather.awardspace.co.uk/ (June 2010) xvii UK Wind Speed Map [Online] Available: http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/0304/wind/content/ukwindspeedmap.html (June 2011)
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