Abstract
The transition towards Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) requires the implementation of clean, efficient and affordable energy mixes in buildings. While the first two pre-requisites are related to a technical breakthrough that is expected for increasing the efficiency and sustainability of the renewable-based energy mixes implemented in the built environment, the affordability is directly related to the costs of these mixes, particularly to the initial investment. The paper analyses the affordability of the renewable based energy mixes for thermal energy production and outlines that the initial investment is exponentially increasing with the specific energy demand of the building. The calculations are focused on office buildings, having specific features that impose a lower thermal energy demand as compared to residential or other buildings with special regime (hospitals, hotels, etc.). Even in these conditions, the analysis shows that installing a renewables-based energy mix that covers 50 % of the thermal energy demand represents an affordable action if the buildings have a specific thermal energy need less than 80 kWh/(m2 year). A case study is discussed and support the general cost model, considering a thermal energy mix possible to be installed in the built environment and consisting of a solar-thermal system (with flat plate collectors) and a heat pump, along with a photovoltaic array able to deliver the energy required for powering the heat pump.
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Acknowledgement
This paper is supported by the Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development (SOP HRD), financed from the European Social Fund and by the Romanian Government under the project number POSDRU/159/1.5/S/134378.
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Moldovan, M., Visa, I., Ciobanu, D. (2014). Towards nZEB—Sustainable Solutions to Meet Thermal Energy Demand in Office Buildings. In: Visa, I. (eds) Sustainable Energy in the Built Environment - Steps Towards nZEB. Springer Proceedings in Energy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09707-7_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09707-7_10
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