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USAID MAITREE – TSREDCO partnership for Grid Interactive NZEB
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USAID MAITREE program is working with the state of Telangana on a path-breaking initiative to reduce the climate change impact of buildings. The MAITREE program is supporting the first Grid-Interactive Net Zero Energy Building (G-NZEB) in South Asia by providing technical know-how through the stages of inception, design, and procurement. Located in Hyderabad, this building will house the offices of the Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO) and TSSPDCL, a utility. G-NZEBs can be described as highly energy-efficient, grid-connected buildings that meet their energy needs through renewable means, while maintaining a two-way communication with the grid to balance demand with the electricity supply.
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India leads on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) with the launch of green room air conditioners on Government e Marketplace (GeM)
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USAID MAITREE program is supporting the Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) initiative of the Government of India in partnership with UNEP. While advancing building energy codes and improving building design to reduce the cooling demand is a long-term sustainable measure, immediate actions can be undertaken by promoting more efficient air conditioners using climate-friendly refrigerants. On World Environment Day June 5, 2021; the Government of India launched “Green Room Air Conditioner” as a pilot for public procurement on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). Last year, the GeM portal saw sales of over 44,000 air conditioners worth Rs. 1.7 billion, and it continues to grow. Green Room Air Conditioner integration within the public procurement system is a catalyst for market transformation towards sustainable cooling.
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NZEB team supports Solar Decathlon India competition
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Launched in 2020, Solar Decathlon India is an annual competition for post-graduate and undergraduate students from Indian institutions to develop net-zero solutions for real projects. It is modeled after the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon®. The objective of the competition is to empower the next generation to combat climate change through buildings that use energy and water efficiently. The NZEB team from EDS supported this objective by conducting an expert webinar, joining hands with the Group of Advisors, and serving as division jury member for Community Resilience Shelter category. Team registration for the 2021-22 Challenge commenced on July 12 and will end on August 19, 2021.
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Opinion: Low Energy Thermally Comfortable NZEBs
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The basic definition of NZEB being to generate equal energy from renewable sources as much as the consumption, might not give us the complete picture of a truly low-energy building. In this blog, Mr.Gian Modgil expands on the main challenge for NZEBs which is to provide thermal comfort with minimal energy consumption. This can be truly achieved only when comfort is achieved by the way building is designed before considering mechanical equipment to meet that function. He supports this with an example of a large-scale public building that integrates climate responsive principles in contemporary design resulting in a high-performing low-energy outcome.
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Online courses to develop skills for high-performance building design
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Improved performance of both new and existing building stock is crucial for reaching our climate goals. With the right skills and continuous professional development, building industry professionals can influence the future built environment. Here is a list of online courses for 2021 that can aid skill development in climate responsive design, building energy simulations, daylight optimization, green building ratings, among many others.
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Webinar recording available: Future of carbon neutral design
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On June 18th, we hosted the webinar titled ‘Future of Carbon neutral design’ presented by Shruti Kasarekar from Atelier Ten. The attendees were apprised of recent discussions around carbon, its global impact and how crucial the present decade is for taking action to tackle climate change. This necessitates a shift from energy efficiency towards thinking holistically on a regional scale. Shruti provided an overview of the design process, future of carbon neutral design and her learnings from working as a sustainability consultant on netzero carbon projects of varying scales across different climate zones. She also discussed the relevance of quantifying embodied carbon and operating carbon emissions over a building's lifecycle. Emerging technologies for energy generation and grid modernization in being able to shift loads to times when the grid is cleaner was also enumerated. In case you missed the webinar, you can watch it on our Youtube channel.
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Bayalpata Hospital at Achham, Nepal
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Bayalpata Hospital is a medical complex spread across a 7.5 acre hilltop in Achham, Nepal. Built from onsite materials and with low-tech construction methods, the complex has managed to minimize the cost-prohibitive transportation of building materials in this mountainous region, thus making it an impeccable zero carbon design. The structures consist of massive rammed earth walls with insulated roofs. The cross-breezes through courtyards, aided by clerestory ventilation and ceiling fans, promote natural ventilation and improve comfort conditions. This grid-hybrid solar hospital generates surplus energy, due to the combination of passive design and a 100 kW solar array integrated into the south-facing roofs. Read the detailed case study.
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This months’ question for you
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Let us know what you think
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What do you think matters more for climate change mitigation?
Reducing energy use by design
OR
Switching from fossil fuel to clean energy
The poll is anonymous. We will share a summary of the responses next month.
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About USAID MAITREE program
USAID-led Market Integration and Transformation for Energy Efficiency program (MAITREE) is a four-year bilateral program with the Ministry of Power. MAITREE supports efforts for moving towards a super-efficient and Net Zero Energy target for new buildings. EDS is the implementing partner of this program.
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