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this case.
It is known that the use of renewable sources of energy in air conditioning system offer
environmental benefits, such as reduce greenhouse gas emission up to 50% as compared to
conventional ones and bring down the costs of electricity by significant amount. Similar to
conventional air conditioners, the ones working with renewable energy can control temperature,
humidity and air quality.
In Mauritius, the only renewable energy that can be used in the context of the 1-Cybercity is
obtained from the sun. The cost of a solar panel varies depending on its size. The higher the solar
output, the lesser panels will be required. The maximum output of a photovoltaic cell is 4 kW. As
calculated in section 7.2, the capacity of the chiller is 331 kW, that is, a power of 331 kW is needed
to supply chilled water to the Air Handling Unit (AHU) and the Fan Coil Units (FCU) on each of
the 4 floors. Therefore, it will require about 80 solar panels to power cool air to the 4 floors of the
building. The roof of the tower has an area of 300 m2 and that of the 4 kW cell is 28 m2. Thus, it
can be said that only 10 PV cells can fit the roof of the building, which will be insufficient to
supply cool air to the floors.
In addition, for air conditioning systems working with solar energy, the set up cost can be
considerably high. The cost of a 4 kW photovoltaic cell is approximately Rs 280,000. The total
cost of the PV cells only can reach up to Rs 22.4 Million which is a huge amount in investing in
air conditioning systems. The cells have to be maintained at elevated cost and this can take more
than 20 years to recover these costs.
Moreover, solar energy is weather dependant. PV cells can only contribute energy in the presence
of sunlight. There will be a significant issue during cloudy and rainy days. The panels will not be
soaked up enough to deliver the power output required. Thus, batteries which are capable of storing
sufficient energy, should be set up. These batteries occupy large amount of space and are very
costly.
All in all, in the situation of the 1-cybercity, the solar air conditioning system is not a wise concept
for temperature, humidity and air quality control considering the insufficient space available and
its set up and maintenance costs which will take many years in order to get back this money.
Consider the use of passive technologies to reduce the cooling load
Passive cooling technologies are the most innovative practices to provide buildings with
comfortable conditions through natural means. Some passive techniques to reduce load in the
tower are as follows:
1. Windows
Windows contribute to one of the highest heat gains according to their surface area. The windows
used at the 1-Cybercity are assumed to be single glazed ones. Curtains are also used as resistances
to heat gain. Double glazed windows are more energy efficient than the existing windows and they
consist of two glass panes instead of one. The space between the panes are usually filled with air
or gas, usually argon gas, which acts as an insulation material considering it has very low thermal
conductivity. The U value of the window is thus calculated for the glazing and the inner fluid.
Thus, this method can reduce solar heat gain by significant amount. Triple glazed windows are
also available. They consist of three glazed panes with argon gas trapped in between. These are
more energy efficient than the double glazed windows but are very much costly and are used in
areas with severe weather.
2. Reflective coating
Ambient temperature and solar radiation contribute to the cooling load of the tower. The surface
temperature of the building can be said to rise due to the solar radiation. On the outer walls of the
building, reflective tiles are arranged close to one another in order to reflect back part of the
radiation due to the sun which is a good approach in increasing the thermal resistances. However,
the roof is covered with black waterproofing material. This black color is known to absorb solar
radiation and thus contributes to an increase in solar heat gain. Instead, the roof can be painted
white which can reflect back radiation about 50%. Special coatings, such as SOLACOAT, can be
used as well, providing a higher reflectivity of 80%.
3. Wall insulation
The external walls of the tower consist of Alucobond sheets. The sheets are known to be flat,
stable, and weather resistant and most importantly, fire resistant. They do not act as an insulator to
solar heat. In this case, a wall insulator, such as polystyrene can be used to act as a thermal
resistance from the solar radiation. The latter can be used on both external and internal wall of the
building, with appropriate thicknesses, to reduce the cooling load.
4. Vapor barriers
Moisture in buildings can give rise to the thermal conductivity of walls. Moisture, due to
infiltration, enters into the uninsulated walls of the tower, thus increasing the cooling load. The
moisture that enters into the wall condensates and accumulates in the building. Even though the
building is air tight and there are no leakages, the water moves inside by water vapor diffusion.
This is because the concentration of humidity outside is higher than inside. This phenomenon can
be avoided by the use of vapor barriers. The material has a low permeability, which will restrict
the moisture from getting into the walls. Polyethylene films are considered as the best wall
insulating material. Thus, it can be said that the vapor barriers can be used to decrease humidity in
the building.
5. Lighting
The 1-Cybercity uses fluorescent tubes of 35 W. Adjustment to the lighting system in the building
can result in the reduction of cooling load, even if it is minor. By simply replacing the fluorescent
light by LED (Light Emitting Diode) tubes, the cooling load can be reduced by significant amount.
6. Overhang
Solar heat gain can be reduced by installing overhang. The solar radiation is then prevented to
enter windows and doors. The length of the overhang plays a significant part in the reduction of
the cooling load. The wider the overhang, the higher will be the reduction of the load. However,
the implementation of the overhang is not very practical since it requires modification and rework
of parts of the building.
Costing
Bill of quantities
1. Equipment Cost
Pump
(Ref: PEDROLLO Power = 3.37 kW Power = 4 kW 17 500
HF20A)
(Type: Centrifugal)
Volume flow rate = 0.0158 m3/s Volume flow rate = 0.0367 m3/s
Pump 1 17 500
A 1 133 135
B 1 58 425
Fan C 1 115 100
D 1 44 272
E 1 59 965
Diffuser 13 31 850
Ducting N/A 553 452
Elbows N/A 17 535
Wye Fittings N/A 87 842
Net price of equipment/components Rs 3 166 976
2. Installation Cost
Contract workers (4 – 5 personnel) generally performs the installation of air conditioning systems
in complex buildings. They consist of an electrician, 1 plumber and usually 2 helpers.
Assumptions:
They are paid Rs 400 per hour overall and they work for 8 hours a day.
Rs 700 is given to the team for transport.
The installation is over within 2 months, excluding Saturdays and Sundays.
Cost for labour = (cost/hour x number of hours per day x number of days) +
= Rs 171 600
The cost of maintenance cannot be accurately calculated due to the fact that no such situation has
aroused and no information about breakdown and failures have been provided. A brief costing
about some common parts/components and labour has been performed.
Total power used = Air Handling Unit + 4 Fan Coil Unit + Chiller + Pump + 5 Fans
= 649.3 kW
The air conditioner system is assumed to operate on an eight hour (8 hr) basis on weekdays.
Excluding Saturdays and Sundays, the system runs for 176 hours for a month on average.
Therefore, on a monthly basis the system operates on 114 277 kWh.
According to the CEB, the rates applicable per month are as follows (CEB, 2018):
The chilled water, used as refrigerant in the air conditioning system, runs as closed loops, that is,
once water enters the system, it stays in the circuit until next maintenance performed. Therefore,
the volume of water is a fixed amount and can be calculated by the summation of the chilled water
low rate, in section 7.3, and is found to be 0.04224 m3/s (2.53 m3/min or 152.06 m3/h).
According to the CWA tariff, for business consumers, 1 m3 of water costs Rs 34 with an initial
charge of Rs 1 122. (Central Water Authority, 2017)
It is assumed that 2.53 m3 of water is supplied to the system in 1 minute and that it takes 30 mins
for the system to be full. Therefore, the volume of water used to run system is 75.6 m3 (2.53 x 30).