Blog Posts

Osama Bekhit 365 Ecology  CEO speaks about energy efficiency solutions with Dian Salem at Mala wa Aamal.   

What is Energy dilemma? The change in our world is more profound than ever, and mega trends are taking place that will shape our lives, think about urbanization, as per the UN, Extra 2.5 billion people will hit the cities by 2050, imagine the stress and extra infrastructure, this will require. Think also about digitization, most probably, you are reading this on your smartphone, this means you are digitized on a way or another. Believe it or not, we download 7 million songs and watch 4 Billion videos on YouTube a day! Not yet convinced, think about industrialization, the global industrial energy use for industrial applications is expecting to double by 2050. So, what is the point? Clearly, as urbanization, digitization, and industrialization are hitting our world, the thrive for more energy is much needed. Sounds easy, let’s generate more energy. It is not that easy, energy means more CO2 emissions, for environment concerned organizations and persons, we should reduce carbon dioxide emissions by half immediately, as the climate change and weather turbulences are happening and the impact will not be manageable. Energy, as well, means more investments in a world that are economically suffering, and most of the policy makers focus their spending on other priorities. Not only this, the available raw materials and what we call fossil fuels are either facing huge inflation or a big scarcity, which simply means we might run out of these resources soon. So, to make a long story short, the dilemma is here, but the human brain is here too. The solution doesn’t lie in generating more energy, this is what experts will tell you, instead we will use the term ‘’Energy management’’ as a magic solution to such dilemma. The term ‘’Energy Management’’ is evolving, and it is not just a broad term to be used in conferences and talks, it is a science, and R&D centers, activists, corporates, governments are seeking ways to best utilize this science. It is not only about renewable energy, but it also compromises the distributed generation, demand response, and machine intelligence. In our next article, we will zoom on energy management concepts as an innovative way of solving the energy dilemma. It is not about experts or energy activists, energy is a basic human right, without energy, human behavior and interests won’t be the same. Energy is for everyone, everywhere and at every moment.  

We face a major challenge in meeting the energy demand of all the people. The more we save the more we make sure that everybody has access to adequate electricity and also the more we can save energy for the future generations. Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective ways to save energy. Improvements in energy efficiency allow the same work to be done with less energy. Energy efficiency can be achieved through various measures. One of the measures that can be used for energy efficiency is the water and wastewater.Energy consumption has a significant impact on the cost of running water treatment plants and on the environment, Wastewater and water treatment plants need a substantial amount of electrical energy to conduct unit processes and operations. Aeration and pumping for wastewater treatment and pumping for water treatment are the main electrical energy users. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that 3% of the power generated in the US is for water and wastewater treatment, so plants must aim to reduce energy use while still meeting quality standards. Improving the energy efficiency in water and wastewater can be achieved by equipment upgrades, operational modifications, and modifications to facility buildings. Equipment upgrades focus on replacing items such as pumps and blowers with more efficient models. Operational modifications involve reducing the amount of energy required to perform specific functions, such as wastewater treatment. Operational modifications typically result in greater savings than equipment upgrades. Modifications to buildings, such as installing energy-efficient lighting, windows, and heating and cooling equipment, reduce the amount of energy consumed by facility buildings themselves. The energy management in water treatment plants is usually done by working on the pumping applications. Energy efficiency can be achieved by using high-efficiency equipment like NEMA ‘’National Electrical Manufacturers Association’’ motors, EPAct ‘’Energy Policy Act’’ high-efficiency motors and variable frequency drive (VFD).Optimizing the pumps with an optimization software like SCADA or any other software is also an item that shall be considered for energy efficiency in water treatment plants.Some other opportunities for energy management and improving energy efficiency in water treatment plants are using high-efficiency fixtures and lamps, lighting monitoring and control, using energy efficient ballasts for plant fluorescent fixtures and also ultraviolet (UV) disinfection or pretreatment systems is an opportunity to reduce energy as well. Energy efficiency can be achieved in the wastewater treatment plants by focusing on the aeration and pumping applications. Also, lift and influent pump stations and any effluent pumping requirements can provide energy saving and improve the energy efficiency in the wastewater plants.Like the water treatment plants, Energy efficiency can be achieved by using high-efficiency equipment like NEMA ‘’National Electrical Manufacturers Association’’ motors, EPAct ‘’Energy Policy Act’’ high-efficiency motors and variable frequency drive (VFD).Dissolved Oxygen (DO) monitoring and control are very important for energy efficiency. The control of an aeration system includes adequately spaced and maintained DO sensors with properly sized blowers. Also, the type of blower must also be evaluated for the application. For example, is the best blower a positive displacement, centrifugal with variable speed or single speed centrifugal controlled with vanes, valves or VFDs?Like in the water treatment plants, Pump and blower optimization are also a consideration in wastewater applications. Knowing which pumps or blowers to use at what time and maintaining control over the requirement is extremely important.Another good opportunity for energy management in wastewater is solids handling and removal. Finding applications that can dewater sludge more efficiently will reduce sludge handling costs. Also, there are many different types of systems developed or being developed to use sludge as a biofuel.The methane produced by anaerobic digestion of the sludge can be used for cogeneration or heating requirements to save energy.  

Worldwide, 40% of all primary energy is used in buildings. While in our countries this is mostly achieved with fossil fuels. In different ways, both patterns of energy consumption are environmentally intensive, contributing to global warming. Without proper policy interventions and technological improvements, these patterns are not expected to change in the near future. On the global level, knowledge regarding the energy use of building stocks is still lagging behind. Generally speaking, the residential sector accounts for the major part of the energy consumed in buildings; the energy consumption in non-residential buildings, such as offices and public buildings and hospitals, is also significant. The pattern of energy use in buildings is strongly related to the building type and the climate zone where it is located. The level of development also has an effect. Today, most of the energy consumption occurs during the building’s operational phase, for cooling, heating and lighting purposes, which urges building professionals to produce more energy-efficient buildings and renovate existing stocks according to modern sustainability criteria. The diversity of buildings, their distinct uses, and extended life cycle pose a challenge for the prescription of energy conservation measures. Specific solutions are needed for each situation, such as for the construction of new buildings, for the renovation of existing ones, for small family houses and for large commercial complexes. Energy consumption can be reduced with thermal insulation, high-performance windows, and solar shading, airtight structural details, variable speed cooling heat pump systems, supported with the integration of renewable energy production in the building. These strategies apply to buildings in both warm and cold climates. Site and energy chain planning also influence the energy efficiency of the individual building. However, technological solutions will only be helpful when building occupants are committed to using energy-efficient systems in an appropriate way. There are many factors that influence the energy consumption behavior of individuals, such as gender, age, and socio-demographic conditions. Educational and awareness raising campaigns are therefore crucial in the process of ensuring the energy efficiency of buildings. The end of the functional service life of a building may inhibit renovation projects – when the building or its parts are no longer suitable for the needs of the building user. In refurbishment processes, basically, the same rationale applies as in the construction of new buildings. Since the operational energy is the major cause of greenhouse gas emissions in residential or commercial buildings to be renovated, this should be the first aspect to be taken into account when considering the improvement of the energy efficiency of building stocks. Moving towards the idea of life-cycle responsibility and introducing effective commissioning processes will help to ensure the efficient life-cycle performance of the building. The high investment costs involved, the lack of information on energy-efficient solutions at all levels, as well as the (perceived or real) lack of availability of solutions to specific conditions, are considered as the major barriers to implementing energy efficiency measures in buildings. In addition, there can be a number of organizational barriers, such as different decision-making levels, privatization/deregulation processes, different stakeholders deciding on the energy system and shouldering the energy bill respectively, etc. It is clear that there are no universal solutions for improving the energy efficiency of buildings. General guidelines must be adjusted to the different climate, economic and social conditions in different countries. The local availability of materials, products, services and the local level of technological development must also be taken into account. The building sector has a considerable potential for positive change, to become more efficient in terms of resource use, less environmentally intensive and more profitable. Decision makers, stakeholders, and experts should understand the logic behind the behavior of building industry and that is important for successful development and deployment of proper technologies. Providing benchmarks on sustainable buildings is an essential requirement for decision makers to take the correct call of action to encourage energy efficient buildings. Solutions aiming to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and construction activities should be disseminated widely, making use of existing or new technology transfer programs. Influencing market mechanisms and encouraging research and development projects, as well as public-private partnerships, are of paramount importance for this endeavor. The energy efficiency opportunities in the construction process and in buildings are undertaken, including building materials, envelope design, energy supply, human behavior and site and energy chain planning. The focus will be put on the operational phase of the building and on solutions that have been demonstrated in full scales, such as pilot facilities or commercial applications. A movement on the land is powered by 365Ecology to create the first community in Egypt collecting all stakeholders and experts to discuss everything related to energy efficient buildings. The vision for the “Building of Tomorrow” is our motive to change the industry of the building construction and make a real impact that helps to renew the industry, make an improvement in the market, increase the awareness and enhance the worker’s experience.