Sustainable Energy And Technologies For A £230m Building Project In Edinburgh

Types of Renewable Energy Sources for the Project

The use of sustainable development refers to the principle utilized for meeting the need for human development. In a similar manner, it also helps in keeping the natural resources unharmed such that their continued interactions are maintained. This is mainly done to support the societal needs as well as the economic needs. The basic utilization of sustainable development is mainly implemented due to the increasing rate of reduction in resources. To meet the demands of the population, the use of renewable resources are being emphasized which forms the core component of sustainable development. This report discusses about the different types of renewable energy sources and different types of sustainable technologies. Moreover, this report also discusses about the sustainable procurement of resources and the impact of waste materials. Furthermore, this report also presents action plan that is to be used for building a project. Lastly, this report discusses about a passive/active ventilation system.

This report discusses about the construction of a project plan which aims to utilize the idea of sustainable development and renewable resources. The location of the project is in Edinburgh and the budget of the project is £ 230 million. The building of a new office center is the main purpose of this project.

This section of the report discusses about four different types of renewable energy sources. These energy sources can be used in the project such that the energy consumption can be reduced which in turn will lead to less energy expenditure made (Moskow 2008). This report discusses about four of the renewable energy sources which are solar energy, wind energy, biomass energy and geothermal energy.

Solar energy is the energy that is obtained by the conversion of heat energy obtained from sun to electricity. This is the most abundant energy available and is also the most widely used energy source. This is mainly because the sun is always available except at night. This is a major point of concern for most of the countries where solar energy is used. For addressing this concern, there are several photovoltaic batteries which are used to store the energy so that they can be used at night. The solar energy is a renewable energy and its use is termed to be a sustainable development.

Wind energy is another renewable source of energy which is harvested from wind. This is usually done by converting the mechanical energy harnessed from wind to electrical energy (Kibert 2008). This type of energy conversion is done by using a wind turbine which successfully does the energy conversion. The wind energy can be effectively utilized for this project as the overhead cost is minimal.

Sustainable Technologies to Minimize Environmental Impact

Biomass energy is another form of renewable energy which involves the energy obtained from aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of used materials and wastes. This energy is renewable and is a great source of energy. However, there major drawbacks of using this type of energy is that it makes a lot of odor during combustion and hence cannot be termed as green energy. The wastes generated from the building can be used to produce energy which will lead to clean the environment.

The last type of energy is the geothermal energy which is another form of renewable energy (You and Chang 2008). In this type of energy, the heat from the surface of the earth is used to be converted into energy. In case of buildings, the heat can be added to the ventilation system which in turn will help in meeting the temperature demands in a cold city.

There are various technologies that can be applied in the company for facilitating sustainable development. This section of the report discusses about four different technologies which can promote sustainable development. The first technology that can be utilized in the building is the construction of a smog removal tower. This type of towers helps in the reduction of the level of smog from the city and thus helps in generating a clear and fresh air for the population (Yang and Cheng 2001). The technology mainly involves a filter which treats the pollutant available in the air. The adoption of this type of technology in the building will help to increase the value of the share prices. This will lead to profitability of the company involved.

Another sustainable technology that can be used by any company is the carbon catcher. This type of technology is very useful in lowering the level of carbon dioxide in the air. This in turn helps in reducing pollution and also helps in reducing global warming. The profitability is not only for climatic changes but also for increasing the revenue made by the company. There are various companies who make products such as diesel fuels by utilizing the carbon emissions. By selling them the captured carbon dioxide, the company can make revenue from this which in turn will address the profitability of it.

 The third sustainable technology that can be utilized in the company is the development of sustainable chip. In case of electronic goods development companies, the installation of sustainable chips can help in more profits. These types of chips help in capturing the heat evolved from the device which is then converted into charging power for the device (Xuesong, Wu and Ming 2008). The main utilization of this technology is that it reduces the need for charging of the device and thus helps in reducing the overhead charges and maintenance needed by a company.

Sustainable Procurement of Material Resources

The last technology that can be applied in a company is the use of recyclable technologies. This helps in using the old devices and recycling it for further use. This type of technologies helps in the reduction of environmental wastages (Wunderlish, Schwab and Fredriksson 2005). The application of this type of technologies can help in setting up of a new department which can be able to bring in additional revenue. The other construction based companies which does not have their own recycling center can reach out to the companies having these.

Sustainable procurement is termed as the methods which consider the environmental and social impacts due to the material acquisitions policies accepted by an organization. The use of sustainable procurement helps in the transfer of values and core materials across the life cycle of an organization which in turn helps to promote sustainable development. Procurement is defined by the acquisition of material resource or labor resources like personnel or funds whereas sustainable procurement is identified by considering all the aspects of the environment as well. This includes taking into account the changes in climate, a carbon-less emission and a supportive industry (Aldosary and Zaheer 1997). The main features of sustainable procurement are enhanced efficiency in water and energy, reduced hazardous material production, longer life-cycle, and decreased amount of wastages and enhanced recycling options.

The main objectives for the adoption of these types of technologies are that it helps in risk management, cost reduction and establishment of value. Risk management is effectively utilized as the use of sustainable procurement helps in providing a positive impact for mitigating non-compliance and resource depletion policies. The use of sustainable procurement also helps in reducing the costs associated with energy consumptions or resource gathering. This helps in increasing the profit margin of the company involved (Holden, Linnerud and Banister 2017). Lastly, the use of sustainable resources also helps in creating a brand value in the market. This also helps in increasing the brand awareness of the company in the market due to the use of quality products. As such, a value in the products are created due to this which ultimately increases the share prices of the company involved and this leads to diversified economy.

The sustainable procurement for the company involved can be done by considering the materials needed for the construction of various technologies. For the construction of energy based sustainable technologies like solar cell or wind mills, the plastic materials and convertors are required. In a similar manner, the necessary materials are gathered which helps in addressing sustainable development efficiently.

Impact of Waste of Materials on the Environment and Materials Management

Disposing the material wastes can lead to grave threats in the environment which can in turn lead to environmental problems. For dumping of wastes, holes are dug in the ground where all the wastes are collected and incinerated. There are two types of waste products which are biodegradable and non-biodegradable (Le Blanc 2015). These biodegradable wastes are decomposed naturally but the non-biodegradable products are not decomposed. As a result, the decomposition leads to the development of greenhouse gases like methane. In addition, it also contributes to air pollutions to a large extent. Moreover, leachate develops from decomposing wastes which in turn leads to water pollution if it mixes up with the local water bodies. Furthermore, vermin and litters are also the result of a poorly managed landfill site.

Incineration of wastes is another concern as it contributes to air pollutions. The oxide gases which are released into the atmosphere reacts with the moisture content on the atmosphere leading to the formation of acids. These acids then precipitate in the form of rain leading to acid rain (Laurent et al. 2014). On the other hand, wastage from the incinerators contains ashes and toxins which when mixed with water bodies leads to water pollution. This is also a matter of concern as crops grown from waste matter can lead to several problems to be associated with common health.

For these reasons, the requirements for material management are a necessity that is to be addressed by all companies. The use of sustainable material management methods can help in the reduction of wastage of products. This is mainly done by adopting the method of reuse and recycle. This helps in reduction of the environmental impacts from the materials and also helps in reducing the cost involved in the company (Hossain, Wu and Poon 2017). The development of a product must be integrated into the waste management system of a company. This will help to provide a general idea of the impacts that can be possible due to the product. The use of the reducing, reusing and recycling can definitely help in waste management. Along with this, the management of the materials is another method as it gives a general idea of the requirement for any project. This helps to give a general idea regarding the needed resources such that wastage of the products is minimized.

This action plan is to be used for the development of the project. The projet involves the development of a £ 230 million project which is to be located in Scotland. The description of the project is going to be an office center building. Along with this, the building will involve several energy generation technologies and other sustainable technologies which will help in smooth and efficient functioning of the processes.

Directions

1.  This action plan denotes the list of actions to be taken for developing the project.
2.  After completing the analysis of the action plan, a copy of it must be circulated among each member responsible for the project.
3.  It is required to keep a copy of this plan whenever required. In addition, it is required to bring a copy of the action plan to meetings for updating and reviewing in a regular basis.  
4. There can be changes applied in the action plan whenever required. Accordingly, every member are to be updated so that the project can be continued without any problems.

Goal:

The goal of this project plan involves the successful development of the project such that all the criteria are met in an efficient manner.

Objective	Action	Indicator
1. Construction of new buildings to a BREEAM rating of at least “Very Good”.	The construction of the building must be achieved on the basis of the applied rating.	BREEAM rating
2. Application of high environmental standards to all construction	The quality of the devices used must achieve an environmental standard such that a high BREEAM rating is achieved.	BREEAM rating
3. Compliance with stakeholder policies to a BREEAM rating of “Good”	The stakeholders must be successfully analyzed such that the objectives are met.	BREEAM rating

Ventilation is a method which helps in natural convection of air across a building. There are two methods of ventilation system which is classified on the basis of the use of machines. These are the active and the passive ventilation systems. The active ventilation system is a process of ventilation which is done by using air conditioners and other mechanical systems (Zhang et al. 2014). As such, it helps in ventilating the system in an efficient manner. These systems are capable of high speed operations by utilizing the power of electricity. In addition, there are various overhead charges incurred from the utilization of this as well.

Passive ventilation is another method which involves the use of open pores in the building. This helps in maintaining the flow of air in a building. The concept of air conduction is dependent on the efflux of hot air through the pores and the influx of cool air on the bottom. As the density of hot air is low, it rises up to the ceiling, the passive ventilation pores are situated in the ceiling such that it passes out. This helps in maintaining ventilation across the room.  

The building to be made need to have active ventilation systems installed. As such, the air will remain refreshed for a long period of time. This is done by installing air ducts across the building such that active ventilation is achieved (Rao, Wang and Huang 2016). In addition, the use of air conditioners must also be emphasized such that the air quality is maintained inside the building. As the building will be built on a very large platform, the need for maintaining the quality of air is required. As such, it helps in ventilation of the whole building by proper adoption of ventilating devices.

Conclusion

Thus, it can be concluded from this report that the use of sustainable development helps in addressing to the management of resources in an efficient manner. Sustainable development refers to the use of resources by an aspect in an efficient manner such that the depletion of resources is not a concern. This report includes a discussion of four different renewable energies which is to be used in the building for adopting a sustainable development. These renewable energies are the solar energy, wind energy, geothermal and biomass energy. This report also enlists four different technologies which promotes the use of sustainable development. These technologies have been discusses in a detailed manner. This report also includes a discussion of the sustainable procurement methods which involves the method involved in gathering of resources. Moreover, this report also includes a general discussion about the material management processes such that the outputs and the inputs to the building can be managed efficiently. Additionally, this report includes an action plan that is to be used in case of the project. Lastly, this report also includes a discussion of the ventilation system which can be built in the building.

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