Designing nearly zero energy buildings : energy efficiency and on-site generation

Abstract

This thesis proposes and applies methodologies for assessing the technical and economic feasibility of nearly Zero Energy Buildings. Four studies were conducted. The first study entitled “Constructive systems for social housing deployment in developing countries: An analysis using life cycle carbon assessment in Brazil” assesses the energy use and GHG emission in social housing in Brazil. “Greenhouse gas mitigation potential and abatement costs in the Brazilian residential sector” is the second study. This work assesses cost-effective abatement opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions in the Brazilian residential sector. The third study entitled “Assessing the restricted deployment of distributed solar photovoltaics in the household sector in developing countries: An analysis by income level in Colombia” proposes a methodology to project the technical, economic and market potential of solar PV in the residential sector. “Optimization model for evaluating on-site renewable technologies with storage in zero/nearly Zero Energy Buildings” is the last paper presented. This study develops, tests and applies an optimization model to evaluate on-site renewable energy technologies with storage in buildings. General findings show that there is a potential for reducing energy consumption in the buildings sector and, hence, GHG emissions. The main barriers for the deployment of nearly Zero Energy Buildings were also identified. Energy policies to overcome the barriers are proposed in the conclusions.