Plant Services - March 2008 - (Page 28)

SuStAinAbility Energy Photovoltaic 0.6% Hydropower 13% Wind energy 16% Solar thermal 1.8% Geothermal 1.0% Biogenic motor fuels 13.5% Biogenic components of waste 3.4% Liquid biogenic fuel 0.5% Solid biogenic fuel 44.9% Gaseous biogenic fuel 5.6% Show versus go Figure 2. In Germany, biomass-based sources represent much larger percentages of the renewable pie than some of the higher-visibility technologies. Rooftop PV powers sheet metal plant The largest building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) laminate rooftop power plant in the southeast United States is being installed by Hamlin Energy Solutions (www.hamlinenergysolutions.com) at its sheet metal fabrication plant in Benson, N.C. The 104,000-watt solar energy system covers 24,000 sq. ft. of the 70,000 sq. ft. roof and will generate 156,000 kWh per year, about 30% of the facility’s needs. “We have seen this solution provide cost-effective solar performance to our customers while reducing a commercial building’s utility dependence, and we knew this was a business focus that fit in well with The Hamlin Companies’ family,” says Will Hamlin, executive vice president of the company, a division of The Hamlin Companies that designs and installs solar energy solutions for the commercial and industrial construction market. “The tax incentives offered by North Carolina make it especially viable and practical for industrial and corporate organizations within our state.” The cost of a typical system is about $7.50 to $8.50 per square foot, depending on the size. Unlike conventional solar panels, Hamlin’s BIPV technology integrates directly with existing roofing infrastructures, giving it a lower installed life cycle cost per watt of power delivered. Conventional crystalline solar panels require a frame system structure that is typically mounted on top of a roof, requiring additional support for its weight as well as hundreds or even thousands of roof penetrations that make the building prone to leaks. Because they are mounted above the roof surface for cooling, conventional rigidframed solar panels are more susceptible to wind damage and cannot typically be hurricane-rated. Their glass covers are vulnerable to damage from wind and hailstorms, and their performance is at peak efficiency only during direct sunlight hours. The BIPV solar material used by HES is a photovoltaic laminate less than 1/8 in. thick that can be fully integrated to the building envelope without penetrations. Compared to rigid-frame crystalline silicon solar panels, the laminates offer better performance on cloudy days and in indirect sunlight. A moment of reflection raises the question whether it makes more sense to capture energy from waste with direct burning and avoid the landfill completely. It would be even more rational to reduce the amount of waste in the first place. Despite these considerations, most states recognize landfill gas recovery as renewable energy, and almost none allow use of demolition or municipal waste as a fuel, forcing these into landfills with a low probability of long-term methane recovery. A similar debate surrounds the use of various forms of biomass as energy sources. Biomass fuel is derived from plants, which in their recent growing phase have absorbed carbon dioxide that is then emitted during combustion with a neutral effect. When the biomass is readily available, typically as a manufacturing or agricultural byproduct, significant greenhouse gas and cost reductions might be available. The way German furniture manufacturer Hukla uses its wood waste to generate electricity and heat typifies the technology. Biomass becomes controversial as a renewable energy source when the plants are grown specifically as an energy crop. Corn-based ethanol and rapeseed (canola) or palm oil biodiesel are having the unintended effect of pushing up food prices. And, when fertilizer, refining and transportation are taken into account, the net greenhouse reductions often are very small. Despite these growing concerns, such as were expressed recently by the European Commission, most jurisdictions still regard biofuels as renewable transport fuel - a view that may well change. United Parcel Service (UPS) has a flexible approach to trying alternative fuels, and recognizes they’ll play a significant role in the future, but with a high level of regulatory and technological uncertainties. This debate opened up the possibly of fuel made from algae, which might offer the potential to produce low-cost biodiesel with substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In the same general area of debate is low-temperature ground-effect heating and cooling, which uses the temperature differential between the ground and the air, typically to provide some heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. It involves large underground piping networks constructed below or alongside buildings with heat-exchange fluid pumped through them. The costs and the greenhouse gas reductions are project-specific, depending on the heating and cooling demands and the cost of electricity. In general, this has limited value for industrial process environments but might be a sensible alternative for offices and similar buildings. Available sources that produce no new greenhouse gases: Heat recovery is an enormous available source of energy that, when used effectively, produces no new greenhouse gas. Every industrial and commercial process wastes heat, the disposal of which frequently requires the use of even more energy. Anytime we make electricity by burning a fossil fuel, vast amounts of heat are a frequently discarded byproduct. It’s March 2008 28 www.PLANTSERVICES.com http://www.hamlinenergysolutions.com http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Plant Services - March 2008

Plant Services - March 2008 Contents From The Editor Letters The PS Files Up and Running Crisis Corner What Works Asset Manager: Enterprise Thinking Technology Toolbox: Hydrogen In Action Cover Story: Get Real Electrical: Reliable Distribution Power Transmission: When the Belt Breaks Web Hunter: Tooting Horns In the Trenches Product Picks Classifieds Fast Facts Energy Expert: Energy versus Sustainability

Plant Services - March 2008

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