Blocking the heat

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In tropical countries as Vietnam Ventilation and Air Conditioning of buildings is a necessity to provide livable and workable conditions for people and electronic equipment. On the other hand Carbon Trust estimates that ACs can increase the energy consumption of buildings up to 100 percent, adding a huge figure on the financial and environmental burden of buildings and their operation.

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Therefore measures to mitigate the warming of the facilities itself become more crucial as they lower the amount of energy used for active cooling later on. One of this measures it the selection of modern glass layers for windows shielding the interior from Infrared Light while still ensuring proper transparency for light rays in the visible spectrum. Heat transmitted via heat radiation is reduced to 15 % through the installation of a modern 3-layer-windows compared to a single layer window.

In combination with accurate insulation of windows and doors to minimize convection as well, this will lead to significant energy saving. The American council estimates that air conditioning costs can be reduced by 3 -5 % for every degree Celsius not needed to be cooled down. Considering that the comfortable living and working temperature for humans is around 20 °C and the average temperature in Vietnam is raging from 24 °C (Hanoi) to 27 °C (HCMC) the installation of proper insulated windows can lower the energy consumption significantly. Depending on the overall environmental conditions as the annual average temperature, sun hours per day or the configuration of the building, the payback time of the investment varies. A scenario from Austin, Texas (around 20 °C average) with the given temperature distribution estimates the payback time of the installation of modern windows  to one year and to 10 years if existing window are replaced. In Vietnam this payback time is estimated to be even shorter.

Besides the reduced energy costs and corresponding savings in resource consumption, the installation of modern windows also increases the appearance and the value of the premise.

 Admin GCTF

Promoting Green Buildings in Vietnam

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In times of rising worldwide energy demand and a growing number of houses and production plants, lowering the environmental impact of construction and operation of these buildings is a crucial element in the overall effort to promote sustainable resource consumption while maintaining economic growth.

As of now, an estimated fraction of 30 % of global carbon emissions and usage of natural resources can be directly linked to the construction and maintenance of buildings. Besides this extensive impact on our global resource budget, buildings and a corresponding living and work environment are sizing interfaces that influence people’s creativity and productivity. A holistic concept is needed considering the multidimensional challenges and chances lying within the design and operation of buildings complying with all the different facets and functions that buildings are requested to supply in today’s world.

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Source: dgnb-system.de/en/system/gold-silver-bronze

The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) as the German national representative of the international Green Building Council is offering various assessments, expertise and certification for voluntary applicants who want to comply with international energy and sustainability standards. Through an evaluation of 40 criteria from different fields, the overall quality of the buildings in terms of environmental, economic, sociocultural, technical, process and site aspects is indicated and rated. Depending on the compliance with the criteria an overall Performance Index is calculated and a label (bronze, silver, gold) is awarded.

 

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Source: dgnb-system.de/en/system/gold-silver-bronze

Independent assistance and certification is given in the planning phase of new projects as well as for existing building. In addition, DGNB trains new consultants qualifying them to conduct energy assessments independently and audit buildings through the DGNB system later on. Currently, in 2015, DGNB is willing to extend these training services to Vietnam to enable interested parties to get access to the certification process. In parallel assistance is given for the newly constructed Deutsches Haus in Ho Chi Minh City which will be the first DGNB certified building in Vietnam.

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http://www.deutscheshausvietnam.com/

As audits and certifications are customized to the sector and utilization of the buildings a special potential of a successful certification of buildings in Vietnam is identified for hotels and other facilities in the tourism sector. Here, a successful certification may serve as useful label to attract more guests sensitive to sustainable resource consumption.

Admin GCTF

 

Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2014

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The latest edition of this authoritative annual report tells the story of the latest developments, signs and signals in the financing of renewable power and fuels.Packed full of statistics, charts and illuminating narrative, it explores the issues affecting each type of investment, technology, region.

According to Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2014 – produced by the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Bloomberg New Energy Finance — the investment drop of $US35.1 billion was partly due to the falling cost of solar photovoltaic systems. The other main cause was policy uncertainty in many countries, an issue that also depressed investment in fossil fuel generation in 2013. Download the entire Report here.

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Additional highlights:

  • Total investments fell in 2013 by 14% to $214 billion worldwide, reflecting significant cost reductions and the impact of policy uncertainty.

  • Solar PV, in particular, improved its cost-competitiveness: some 39GW were installed, up from 31GW in 2012, for fewer dollars invested.
  • The number of markets that can compete without subsidies is increasing.
  • Renewables excluding large hydro account for 43.6% of 2013’s newly-installed generating capacity.
  • Wind investments remained roughly the same, while solar PV outlays dropped 20% despite a record amount installed.
  • In 2013, China for the first time invested more in renewable energy than Europe.
  • Renewable energy investment in Japan increased by 80 % during the last year.

The Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment Report (GTR) is a sister publication to the Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) produced by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century REN21. The 2014 edition of the GSR, launched on June 4th, 2014, is available at www.ren21.net/gsr. It provides an overview of renewable energy market, industry, investment and policy developments worldwide.

Attachment Size
Key Findings Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2014 3.17 MB
GTR Datapack 2014 156.23 KB
GTR Chartpack 2014 498.89 KB

Source: fs-unep-centre.org