Week 11 - Energy management, smart grid

Question 1

What is the Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint?

Answer 1

• RE implementation and wide use
• Decarbonization measures
• Promote energy efficiency
• Phase out coal-fire electrcitiy and replace it slowly
• Implement other measures to lower carbon emissions

Question 2

What does a smart grid do?

Answer 2

• Reliable and efficient infrastructure + intelligent systems and devices + advanced monitoring + management solutions
• 2-way flow of electrcity and data supported by smart tech
• Supports RE generation, empowers customer engagement, strengthens power grid resilience
• Distribute energy resources and mintors it all
• Supply reliability, safety, efficiency, and power quality

Question 3

What are the benefits of a smart grid?

Answer 3

• RE
• Energy storage
• Efficient and flexible generation
• Energy efficiency
• Carbon emission cut
• Easy mintoring
• Easy adjustment
• Lower operating costs due to easier adjustments
• Home automation for customers and they also save cost
• Smart meters for real time communication of data and info and between customers

Question 4

What is the energy audit?

Answer 4

• Effective energy management tool
• Buildings must engage in Registered
  Energy Assessor (REA) for energy audit
• 4 keys srvice installations under BEEO evaluated
• Evaluate and identify energy manegement oppurtunities (EMOs)
• Also help reduce carbon emission and air pollution
• needed for commercial buildings

Process———————
- Prepation (estimate time and budget, prepare team, define scope)
- Collect info
- Review info
- Identify EMOs
- Analyzing cost benefit of EMOs
- Recommend improvement
- Compile report

Question 5

How are EMOs categorized?

Answer 5

Category 1: housekeeping measures but basically no cost or disruption
Category 2: changes in operation, low cost
Category 3: relatively higher capital cost, attain more efficiency

Question 6

What is a carbon audit?

Answer 6

• Basically energy audit for carbon footprint
• Amount of GHG emission (greenhousegass)
• Electricity generation is a major source of GCG
• Buildings encouraged to follow Gas Emissions and Removals for Buildings
• But its voluntary, where as energy audit under BEEO is mandatory

Question 7

What are the five steps of a carbon audit?

Answer 7

1. Define physical and operational boundaries
2. Identify emission sources
3. Collect data
4. Apply emission factors for calculation (basically calculate how much it will impact global warming)
5. Report and disclose

Question 8

What are some carbon reduction initatives?

Answer 8

• Reducing paper consumption
• Reducing water consumption
• Reducing waste generation
• Efficient use of company vehicles
• Staff commuting (e.g. use of public transportation instead of taxi)
• Staff engagement (e.g. use of staircase)
• Appropriate use of printing equipment
• Appropriate use of information and communications technology (ICT) equipment
• Reducing overseas business travel
• Event organization and management (e.g. reducing paper/water consumption and waste gen.)
• Renewable energy demonstration

Question 9

Explain the Energy-cum-Carbon Audit?

Answer 9

• theres a lot of overlap in the two
• HKSAR gov has rolled out this audit on over 120 gov buildings and public facilities
• Administered by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), started in 2007
• Basically evaluates same stuff and then identifies places for improvement
• Funding for audits in communal areas of
  residential, commercial, industrial buildings or composite buildings comprising any
  two of these three types of establishments

Question 10

What is retro-commisioning (RCx)?

Answer 10

• Systematic periodic check on existing buildings to identify operational improvements that save energy
• More regular than energy audit and not under BEEO and not required
• Also more focused on making sure stuff is operating as expcted not how to make it better like energy audit
• Also is more ongoing in commissioning plan
• Building energy systems can include——————-
  1. Chiller plant
  2. Heat rejection system
  3. Water-side system
  4. Air-side system
  5. Electrical system
  6. Lighting system
  7. Lift & Escalator

Benefits—————–
- Low cost
- Reduction in operation and maintenance costs for buildings
- Extends lifespan of materials and devices
- Ensures stuff is functioning at most efficient
- Healthy IEQ for residents and occupants
- Increases building value
- Growing knwoeldge and skills for building management team

Question 11

What are the stages of RCx?

Answer 11

1. Planning
2. Investigation
3. Implementation (implement the ESOs,
   in order to improve the operational performances,
   mainly energy efficiency and comfort levels)
4. Ongoing commissioning

Question 12

What are some important things to consider in energy management?

Answer 12

• robust energy management is best for facilitating green building
• audits are good for contant improvement and making sure stuff is working as it should
• It’s good to understand and have fuel mix with multiple types of energy for electrcity
• Fossil fuels, hong kong mainly uses, town gas, LPG and diesel oil
• Retro-commisioning is an effective instrument for energy management
• smart grid is helping smart building energy management –> smart meters help facilitate good electricity control
• implement SMART DESIGN