Sustainable Use and Green Strategy
Sustainable Use and Green Strategy
In many building systems, high amount of energy is required in order to sustain its full operation. Most of these buildings are getting their power supplies from big electric companies. However, green building design may obtain its energy using alternative source. An example of green building design would me a strip mall with specific emphasis on storm-water drainage efficiency, along with the use of solar energy that has no emissions from its individual businesses. The purpose of this paper is to assess various energy systems such as wind turbines, geothermal, solar panels, and even the hydroelectric and their applicability on strip mall as a green building. Specifically, we discussed the applicability of solar panels in green building design and construction for the strip mall as it is the best onsite renewable source of power.
Geothermal energy is a power source that comes from the earth’s heat (renewableenergyworld.com). This is one of the sustainable and clean sources of energy that can be used to produce large amounts of electricity that can sustain both industrial and home use. As for the strip mall, it can be used as to cool and heat the building.
Another source of energy of energy is the wind turbine. This technology uses wind as the primary source of power in which rotates the blades of turbine to produce energy. This can also be used to sustain the strip mall’s electricity demand. However, such technology is normally located in an open field or area where enough wind is available. That is why; wind turbine may not be the ideal source of energy for the selected green building structure.
Hydroelectric is also another source of energy in which water plays the most important role in producing electricity. Hydroelectric plants use rivers in order store water in a reservoir, which spins the turbine once it flows down. This could be an ideal source of energy for a strip mall that has a green building design, but it is not an ideal onsite renewable power source.
The Hydroelectric energy system is similar with tidal generator as they both use water as the primary source of electricity. However, tidal generator depends on the moving waters during particular tides. Its technology works similar with a wind turbine, but tidal generator is set beneath the water that acts like the wind for turbines. This is another good source of energy, but it also not an ideal onsite source of renewable energy.
Another source of renewable energy is the solar energy. It uses the sunlight as the primary source of electricity. This technology uses solar panels in order to store the energy from the sun and converting it to electricity. In the application of various energy systems, solar panel is the most ideal for the green building designed strip mall. The solar energy can provide adequate amount of electricity that can be used in both heating and cooling systems of the building as well as to sustain the building’s electricity requirement.
Applicability of Solar Panel in Green Building System
Solar energy is a powerful source of electricity. It uses inexhaustible resource, which is available anywhere in the world. That is why; solar energy panel is an applicable energy system for a strip mall that aims to efficiently use the solar power to produce energy. It also represents an alternative to other energy source such as fossil fuels that pollute the water and air. Thus, it coincides with the green building system’s aim to protect the public’s health and prevent the further warming of our planet (ucsusa.org). Additionally, solar panel is an ideal onsite renewable source of energy for a strip mall. Not only that it can be used to heat the building, but it can be used for cooling and lighting systems.
In a green building system that uses solar panel, the design is purposely created in order to utilize passive power from the sun. This is power source that can be obtained without using any mechanical tools to cool, heat and even lights the green building system. Besides, some of the green buildings systems have are capable of gathering and storing solar energy. For example, solar collectors are being set on the building’s rooftop in order to gather solar energy for water heating, space heating, and space cooling such as air conditioning systems.
The applicability of solar panel to a green building system such as a strip mall can be identified through cooling systems. Using desiccant evaporators, the heat that was being collected through solar panels can be used to pull out the moisture into the air (ucsusa.org). Therefore, the air inside the building space becomes dryer and cooler. This is the process in which the hot air is being vented out from the building. Another application of the solar panel to the green building system is with the use of absorption chiller (ucsusa.org).
This is a power generation approach in which the solar energy is being use for refrigerant heating. Once the pressured is released and expands, cool air will spread in the building space. This process is similar to the conventional air conditioners and refrigerators, but it is an efficient application on the strip mall building’s cooling system especially during the warmest time of the day.
Possible Use of Wind for Strip Mall
Normally, wind energy is being generated using giant turbines that are located in an open space that has the capacity to catch the strong wind. This is the usual and the ideal construction of the wind turbines. However, there are instances the wind turbines are built on top of the building to produce a specific amount of electricity needed by such structure. For example, wind turbines sitting on top of Boston Museum of Science (Wilson, 2013). In terms of possibility, wind turbines can be used in any building including the selected building system, which is the strip mall. However, in terms of efficiency, wind turbines cannot sustain the amount of electricity needed in a building such as a strip mall. Basically, wind turbines on buildings are intentionally small so as not to affect the structure of the building. Therefore, the power-generation of combined turbines is limited.
Even though the strip mall is a green building system, kit still requires large amount of electricity in order to sustain its cooling and heating systems, lighting systems, and the individual electricity demand of each businesses inside the mall. Therefore, in application of the wind turbine as an onsite source of renewable energy might compromise the building’s electricity needs. Therefore, the best green strategy for energy source for a strip mall is the solar panel. This energy source will meet the efficient use of the solar energy as well as meeting the zero-emissions from the individual establishment inside the mall.
In assessing the various energy resources, each one of them has the ability to produce energy for specific needs of different building systems. The geothermal can produce enough electricity for both home and industrial use, so as the wind turbines and the hydroelectric technology. Biomass reactors can also produce the same amount of energy just like the tidal generators and large wind turbines located in open spaces.
However, in terms of using the renewable energy resource onsite such as the strip mall, it still best to use solar panel as it can sustain the amount of energy needed. Thus, the solar panel can be used in lighting, cooling, and heating systems of the building in addition to the power supply that can be distributed throughout the building system.
Works Cited
Renewable Energy World. "Why is renewable energy important?" Renewable Energy World - Renewable Energy News, Jobs, Events, Companies, and more. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/tech/home>.
Union of Concerned Scientist. "How Solar Energy Works." Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2014.
Wilson, Alex. "Wind Power: Why it Doesn’t Make Sense Everywhere." BuildingGreen. N.p., 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://www2.buildinggreen.com/blogs/wind-power-why-it-doesn-t-make-sense-everywhere>.
