Green hydrogen-based, year-round electricity storage

HPS expands its product range by introducing storage systems for businesses and multi-family houses

  • Year-round multi-picea electricity storage system can store up to 15,000 kilowatt hours of solar electricity
  • Cascaded storage units enable flexible performance and storage capacity
  • First commercial property equipped with multi-picea in Meckenheim

 

Berlin, 7 December 2021 – HPS Home Power Solutions GmbH (HPS), provider of picea, the green hydrogen-based, year-round electricity storage system for buildings, today announced that it has expanded its product portfolio. The newly developed “Förster” control and energy management system now allows up to ten picea units to be interconnected. This “multi-picea” set-up can now supply solar power to buildings with larger power requirements, such as commercial properties or apartment buildings, from their own roof all year round. Multi-piceas have a storage capacity of up to 15,000 kilowatt hours electric.

HPS is constantly working on expanding the performance of its products and opening up new market segments. The cascading approach used by multi-picea allows both performance and storage capacity to be adjusted for different applications. By using the same standard picea unit, additional scale effects in production are achieved resulting in lower manufacturing costs going forward.

“By developing multi-picea we have responded to a strong demand in this sector and created a solution that offers higher storage capacity and performance in larger buildings. This enables consumers in commercial properties and multi-family houses to fully utilize their own solar power even in winter by flexible scaling of our proven year-round electricity storage system,” said Zeyad Abul-Ella, Managing Director and co-founder of HPS. “Our multi-picea solution is yet another contribution to decarbonizing the building sector.”

 

First multi-picea installed in Meckenheim

Josef Küpper Söhne GmbH from Meckenheim is the first customer to equip a commercial property in Germany with a multi-picea system. Five picea units store the surplus solar power produced by the 98‑kilowatt peak solar system installed on the roof and facade of the company’s new building, thus covering the electricity and heat requirements even in winter. “We are pursuing an independent and clean energy supply both for our customers and for ourselves, because the time is ripe to move toward a carbon-free society. That is why we opted for the multi-picea long-term storage system from HPS when we designed our new site in Meckenheim,” said Peter Küpper, Managing Director of Josef Küpper Söhne GmbH.

 

About picea

picea is the world’s first hydrogen-based electricity storage system for one and two-family houses. The Förster product extension allows picea units to be cascaded to meet even larger power and storage requirements. The energy surpluses achieved on sunny days from a photovoltaic system are stored as green hydrogen to make electricity and heat available in the dark season. picea provides year-round, carbon-free full power supply and also reduces heating costs.

 

How multi-picea works

A central control and energy management unit called “Förster” (German for forester) establishes communication between the individual picea units, distributes energy evenly and records the building’s energy flows. Förster enables the individual picea units to work together in one application, the multi-picea solution. picea is the Latin term for spruce. One picea avoids about three tons of carbon dioxide per year. This corresponds to the amount of carbon dioxide bound by 130 spruce trees per year. Förster can manage up to ten picea units. The intelligent energy management provided by Förster distributes the storage of solar energy in summer and the power output in winter to the individual systems as needed, which ensures the longevity of the individual modules.

 

About HPS Home Power Solutions

HPS develops and produces integrated systems for the storage and use of solar energy for one- and two-family houses. The Förster product extension allows picea units to be cascaded to meet even larger power and storage requirements. HPS offers green hydrogen-based solutions for decarbonizing the building sector. The Berlin-based company was founded in 2014 by Zeyad Abul-Ella and Dr. Henrik Colell and stands for reliability, independence and sustainability in decentralized energy supply. picea, developed by HPS, is the first system worldwide that combines electricity storage, heating support and residential ventilation in one compact product. One picea system avoids approx. three tons of carbon dioxide per year, binding as much carbon dioxide as 130 spruce trees. picea has won several prestigious awards, most recently the Handelsblatt Energy Award 2020, the Smarter E Award 2021 and the Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Award 2021.

 

For more information, please visit: http://www.homepowersolutions.de/

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Falling costs of MMC Predicted

Costs of MMC set to drop by a third, finds new report

osts associated with modern methods of construction (MMC) could fall by a third as demand in the sector grows, reveals a new report published today by Constructing Excellence at its annual conference.

Part of the BRE Group, Constructing Excellence is a leading not-for-profit membership organisation driving change in the construction sector. Its report, done in collaboration with Building Research Establishment (BRE), Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) and Bristol City Council, finds that MMC costs are currently around £3,000 per m2, owing to typically small volumes and short pipelines for manufacturers. However, as manufacturers scale up and pipelines lengthen, it concludes that costs could fall to around £2,000 per m2.

While MMC could bring with it an even greater cost benefit in future, it is already resulting in noticeably shorter building phases. The report also found that the average build is 72 weeks for a house built using MMC compared to 112 weeks for one built using traditional methods. This includes all stages of the build process, from pre-construction design to fit out.

Today’s report by Constructing Excellence also looks to define ‘key performance indicators’ (KPIs) for MMC – which have previously been unavailable – and benchmark these against existing housing delivery models, to quantify the benefits of MMC. The KPIs by BRE identified include cost, time, quality, health and safety, labour requirements, environmental impacts, and local disruption.

As a follow-up to this report, Constructing Excellence is now planning to convene an MMC Group which will enable it to take ownership of gathering and measuring this KPI data across manufacturers and builds to drive further development in the sector.

Alison Nicholl, Head of Constructing Excellence, commented: “It is clear that the prominence of MMC is growing, accelerated by the growing need to rethink our approach to construction to meet pressing delivery challenges. However my view is that if we are going to truly advance the adoption of MMC and make it mainstream, we need to develop a much more tangible benefits case based on real data and evidence, not just warm words and positive sentiment.

“What is already clear from this research is that delivery speed and qualitative benefits of MMC use are compelling which in turn leads to wider linked economic and societal benefits.”

Richard Quarry, Partner and Head of Affordable Housing at Rider Levett Bucknall, said: “As we see MMC now becoming embedded within the residential sector, especially for our affordable housing Clients, this report is extremely timely. As well as demonstrating the benefits through time savings and build-quality improvements and addressing site labour shortages, focusing conversations around data capture and a rounded set of KPIs to quantify benefits will help to embed processes and drive futher adoption.”

When used appropriately, MMC has the potential to improve resource efficiency, build quality, environmental performance, and the predictability of delivery timescales. However, traditionally KPIs for MMC have been difficult to measure due to a lack of or limited data available on the impacts of this method of construction.

As a result, only 15,000 homes are currently factory-made each year, compared to the Government’s annual target of 300,000. It is estimated that around 3.9m homes are required to meet current and future levels of demand; however, the consensus is that construction targets cannot be met without the extensive use of MMC.

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BIGGEST INVESTMENT IN TIDAL POWER

Last week the Government  announced its “biggest investment in a generation” into Britain’s tidal power. The government will invest £20 million per year in Tidal Stream electricity as part of its renewable energy auction scheme.

“UK government announces biggest investment in a generation into tidal power, kickstarting a new chapter for the UK’s tidal energy industry this will strengthen energy security by adding to our diverse, renewable electricity supply and create jobs across the UK today’s investment in tidal energy further demonstrates the UK’s commitment to build a strong, home-grown renewable energy sector to reduce our reliance on volatile fossil fuels,” the Government said.

Today’s announcement will unlock the potential for a thriving UK tidal power sector, with the cash boost supporting marine technologies which could benefit the whole of the UK, the government said.

“As part of the fourth allocation round of the Contracts for Difference Scheme due to open next month, the UK government will ensure that £20 million per year will be ringfenced for Tidal Stream projects, giving the marine energy sector a chance to develop their technology and lower their costs in a similar way to the UK’s world-leading offshore wind industry. This will bring the total funding for this allocation round to £285 million per year,” the UK Government said.

It added that the £20 million additional ringfenced budget is for Tidal Stream projects, not Tidal Range, which is a different technology. Tidal Range projects are not eligible to enter into the CfD scheme.

“History has illustrated the effectiveness of the scheme’s design in keeping costs down – between the first allocation round in 2015 and the most recent round in 2019, the price per unit (MWh) of offshore wind fell by around 65%,” the Government said.

Over time, the Government said, marine technologies have the potential to significantly contribute to our decarbonization commitments and will support hundreds of green jobs across the country, with projects currently in development in North-West Scotland, North Wales, and the Southern coast of England. Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “As an island nation we are perfectly placed to capitalize on clean marine energy, building on our booming offshore wind sector which is now a British industrial success story.

“We hope to see marine energy follow in the successful footprints of other renewable technologies, where we’ve seen costs fall dramatically in recent years thanks to UK government support.

“The investment provides a major push for tidal power to become a key part of the next generation of renewable electricity projects needed to strengthen energy security as we work to reduce our dependency on volatile fossil fuels.”

Source: Offshore Engineer

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SMART CONSTRUCTION NETWORK

Loughborough University joins the Smart Construction Network

Loughborough’s School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering has become the latest member of the Smart Construction Network (SCN).

The SCN is formed of academic institutions, R& D organisations, industry centres and trade bodies, and aspires to be the conduit through which expert knowledge, innovative ideas and best practice can be shared.

Its mission is to encourage the uptake of Smart Construction across the whole sector, including housing, and in doing so support the journey of transformation towards a more modern, productive, and sustainable construction sector. The SCN signposts innovative construction businesses towards the expertise and support they need to begin their transformative journey.

Shelagh Grant, chair of the SCN welcomed the announcement. She said: “Loughborough University is well regarded as a leading institution, offering a unique service to the construction industry, with a reputation for innovation in sustainability, high performance buildings, and digital construction. It is one of the largest integrated centres for built environment education in the UK, spanning architecture, building, quantity surveying, urban planning, and civil and architectural engineering.”

Chris Goodier, Professor of Construction Engineering and Materials, who led the submission added: “Loughborough has a great tradition of working closely with industry and government to address the great national and global challenges of today and tomorrow. We look forward to collaborating closely with the SCN and its partners across the spectrum of smart construction activities, including offsite manufacture and modern methods of construction, digital, and high-performance building.”

Source: Loughborough University

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From Wind Turbine Waste to Working Bags

From wind turbine covers to work bags – tackling the textile mountain

Whilst wind energy undoubtedly plays an important part in our fight against climate change – much controversy still surrounds air turbines & their parts being non-recyclable at end of life.

Yorkshire based innovative recyclers MyGroup (www.mygroupltd.com) have developed a solution to upcycle the hardwearing poly-blend bags used to protect and transport Siemens Gamesa wind turbines during the installation process.

The company’s textile team has deconstructed the material and created work & tool bags for staff members at the wind turbine manufacturing plant. The design creates a circular solution for the material. Otherwise, it would take up large amounts of space in landfills or go to incineration (some poly blend materials can take up to 200 years to degrade in a landfill).

The challenge we face with any kind of textile recycling is enormous. But hardwearing textiles designed for industrial projects are increasingly hard-to-repurpose. It’s reported that 95% of textiles have the potential to be recycled, yet currently less than 15% is being recycled effectively.

MyGroup is known mainly for their innovative solutions for plastic recycling, notably for facemask recycling in Wilko stores and cosmetic recycling in Boots stores. But the company is now expanding focus on creating viable upcycling routes for textiles too.

Katie Robinson, Textile Technician at MyGroup, said, “The Siemens Turbine bag is a great example of our solutions – a complex, poly based material built to last, yet when it’s retired from its original purpose, what’s next? We decided this material would be perfect as a tool bag because of its durability. Using in-house processes and craftmanship, we came up with a solution to divert this material away from incineration or landfill. There really is no such thing as non-recyclable for us. Everything has another purpose. It’s our job to find and realise that purpose.”

Plans are in place to continue experimenting with the tricky poly-blend textiles to create more items, such as duffel bags, tipis and shelters. The long-term aim is to create more viable streams to divert complex poly based textiles from landfills.

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MODULAR SOLUTION FOR THE HOMELESS

Stelling Properties believes Modular construction for Meanwhile Housing schemes could be the answer to reducing hospital readmissions for the homeless

 

Following the Government’s announcement that it will provide extra funding for pilot schemes to provide temporary housing and extra care for the homeless that have recently been released from hospital, Stelling Properties is calling on those responsible for delivering the pilot programs, to look at modular construction as a way of accelerating the delivery of the homes needed.

A recent study of 3,000 homeless patients found that 2,000 were readmitted to hospital within a year, with the onset of winter approaching, there is a need to move quickly to provide high quality, safe, secure accommodation, Stelling Properties believes that modular constructed Meanwhile Housing is a solution which will allow the most vulnerable to benefit quicker thus contributing to breaking the cycle of hospital readmissions.

Meanwhile housing affords the opportunity to accelerate the delivery of new homes on sites awaiting permanent redevelopment as these homes can be occupied several years before a final development is completed allowing redundant land to be utilised. With the potential to deliver modular construction projects up to 50% quicker than traditional projects, Stelling Properties believes modular construction provides an immediate solution to homelessness crisis.

 

“We have an innovative solution that is readily available. The extra funding is great news that will make a real difference, we now need to make sure that all parties including planners act fast to reduce the seasonal impact of winter and provide the safe secure temporary homes that are needed” said !ntonio

Lopez, Head of Property Operations & New Opportunities at Stelling Properties.

 

Contact: tim.page@stellingproperties.com 

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Architectural wizardry does not a home make

The Water Tower (Photo: Channel 4 / Dennis Pedersen)

 

Grand Designs: House of the Year, Channel 4, review: Another year, another shortlist of outlandish houses that don’t represent true British architecture

By Barbara Speed Opinion Editor at iNews

The House of the Year competition has rolled around again, and the homes on display are as outlandish as ever. A water tower turned into the Thunderbirds’ HQ! A house inside a 14th century stone keep! A house built on top of another, less attractive house!

The competition, run by the Royal Institute of British Architects and with its shortlist and winner revealed via Grand Designs, does at least nod in the direction of sustainability and functionality.

The Thunderbirds-style “Water Tower” in King’s Lynn preserved a disused structure, and alma-nac studio’s “House-within-a-House” in London is much better insulated than the 1950s home it swallowed up. But the competition rings oddly in its designation of “House of the Year” when the shortlist couldn’t be further from what most of us live in.

House within a House, one of the buildings shortlisted for RIBA’s House of the Year competition (Photo: Channel 4)

 

 

 

Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud seemed painfully aware of this fact as he ran through the longlist of properties in the “surprise” category. He proclaimed rather unconvincingly that the gargantuan, expensive “House-within-a-House” is the “template of a modern family home” after learning that its fancy oak floors withstood regular skateboarding.

 

 

 

 

Pele Tower House (Photo: Channel 4)

 

 

Pele Tower House’s architect was praised for letting light in despite the original windows being designed purely for shooting arrows, and for managing to surround its swimming pool with a mortar-free stone wall at huge expense. Not issues faced by your average homeowner.

 

 

 

 

 

The word “house” has complicated associations, and on the basis of this competition, is not to be confused with “home”. It is not clear whether the winning project here will be commended for its architectural wizardry, or for its ability to improve its owners’ lives and inspire future, better iterations of the sorts of houses the rest of us occupy. I fear it will be the former.

UK housing is in short supply, and is too often badly constructed, a health risk or made from deadly materials. There are scores of problems worth architects’ time; I’m not sure House of the Year tackled any of them.

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Green Life Buildings enters strategic partnership with DTM Global

Green Life Buildings (GLB) has agreed a strategic partnership with DTM Global Holdings to provide its Advanced Building System (ABS) to Canada, India and South East Asia. The partnership will focus on building greener homes in line with the need for immediate climate action. JV companies will be formed in Canada and India and the initial order book from Canada and India is anticipated to exceed £3m by mid 2022. As part of the partnership, the JV companies intend to create production facilities in key overseas markets.

Chris Williams, CEO of GLB said “our JV with DTM provides us with the ideal opportunity to offer our greener building system to new markets, enabling them to benefit from the carbon savings of the system”.

Sanjeev Kumar, director and CEO of DTM added “we are intimately familiar with the markets of Canada, India and South East Asia. We are convinced that there is huge untapped demand for new construction methods that are both cost effective and environmentally friendly”.

 

About GLB

 

GLB’s Advanced Building System, is recognised by the UK government as a Modern Method of Construction, and utilises low carbon materials to provide benefits at every stage of manufacture and installation. The system provides structural, acoustic, thermal and carbon benefits compared to traditional techniques. The M2 technology behind the ABS is proven as are the products that provide innovative, sustainable and cost effective building solutions to developers, housing associations and public authorities. The ABS can reduce costs by up to 40% compared to traditional methods, and construction times by up to 50%. The processes used minimise waste and all elements of the products are recyclable. When completed the system offers fire resistance (REI120), has high structural strength and can be made into any shape whilst reducing CO2e emissions compared to current practices by over 45% in construction (more than 22 tonnes per home) and 65% in operation.

 

About Delamore

 

The Delamore & Owl Group of Companies is a privately owned group and parent of 48 subsidiaries, with an ever increasing global reach and client base. Among its portfolio of clients are governments, non-government, and privately owned entities based in more than 30 countries in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific.

 

As a conglomerate, the group’s complete library of businesses spreads across various sectors of the economy including aviation, agriculture and agri-commodities, commodity trading, consultancy, construction, ICT, infrastructure, environment & energy, healthcare, financial services, mining, among others. DTM Global Holdings is an environmental, tech and media focused entity within the Delamore & Owl Group.

 

 

DTM Global – Sanjeev Kumar: sanjeev@dtmglobalholdings.com

 

GLB – Chris Williams: chris@greenlifebuildings.co.uk, https://www.greenlifebuildings.co.uk

 

 

 

 

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1500 Sustainable Modular Homes

CARDIFF INSTALLS FIRST OF THEIR KIND GREEN, AFFORDABLE HOMES

  • Wates Residential and Cardiff Council lowering nine modular homes onsite at Crofts Street, Plasnewydd
  • First time this method of offsite construction used for permanent family homes in city
  • Homes to be made available to residents on Council’s housing waiting list in just five weeks

 

 

Wates Residential and Cardiff Council are today installing Cardiff’s first sustainable, modular homes, at a brownfield site on Crofts Street, Plasnewydd, as the Council increases its provision of affordable homes for local residents on housing waiting lists and those most in need.

The nine two-bedroom properties, which have been built offsite using modern methods of construction (MMC), will be lowered onto their final position on-site with all the groundworks and external hard and soft landscaping completed.

This is the first time this method of offsite construction has been used by Cardiff Council to deliver permanent homes for families living in the city. The method not only enables the units to be built and installed in record time, but will also use the latest technology and construction materials to create net-zero carbon buildings that are 90% more energy efficient than standard homes built to current Building Regulations. They will be extremely airtight, meaning they are well insulated and residents will see huge savings on their bills[1].

In recognition of their environmental credentials, the homes have achieved Grade A in Predicted Energy Efficiency and Environmental Impact (CO2) ratings. The houses will have solar panels on their roofs and MEV Heat Recovery with electric heating elements, so that they will not be required to connect to the mains gas service and will emit significantly less CO2 than a standard home.

Offsite construction also creates less disruption to residents, as the overall build programme and onsite activity is greatly reduced, with the units being designed to the same style as the terraced housing in the area.

Once the units are installed, all services will be connected, followed by the installation of electricity and plumbing, with the Council making the homes available to tenants on its existing housing waiting list in just five weeks.

 

Edward Rees, Wates Residential Regional Director, Cardiff, said:

“It is incredible to see this unused plot of land transformed into affordable homes. We care about the communities in which we operate and aim to design and build homes that put local people first. And, by using innovative modern methods of construction, we’re not only able to deliver these units just five weeks from now, but we are also creating homes that will support Cardiff and its residents in reducing their energy consumption and contributing to a more sustainable future.

 “We are committed to eliminating waste and carbon from our operations by 2025, well ahead of the Government’s own environmental targets, and we’re working collaboratively with customers, supply chain and joint venture partners to find better and more innovative ways to reduce waste, reduce energy consumption and enhance the natural environment.”

 

 

Cllr Lynda Thorne, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at Cardiff Council, who attended the lowering of the units today, said:

 “The installation of the modular units at Crofts Street is a very exciting day for us as we have eagerly been awaiting their arrival. Increasing the availability of affordable housing for people in Cardiff is a high priority for the Council, but we also want to make sure that the new homes we are delivering are good quality properties that are as ‘green’ as they possibly can be for the benefits of our tenants by reducing fuel poverty and the benefit of our wider population, because it’s the right, sustainable thing to do.

 “Right across our housing development programme, we are working on getting as close to zero carbon as we can with innovative construction methods and technologies that surpass current building regulations, minimise environmental impact and reduce ongoing running costs for tenants.

 “I’m delighted that the first new tenants in the development will be in before Christmas and they can begin enjoying living in their new Cardiff Living homes so soon.”

 

The homes are part of Wates Residential’s Cardiff Living partnership with Cardiff Council to deliver 1,500 new homes across 40 sites in the city over a 10-year period, including affordable homes for rent and sale, supported accommodation and more accessible and adaptable homes for older people.

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A mindful eco build

Timber frame specialist, Blue Sky Property Services, of Norfolk, is always mindful of the environmental impact of its building and renovating projects.  This is certainly true of the conversion of an old engineering unit into a luxury two double bedroom eco holiday rental being built in the Norfolk countryside.

“We always specify West Fraser products as they are easy to use and are produced with the environment in mind.  We used CaberShieldPlus on the first floor as we didn’t need to worry about leaving it exposed while we were building.  The non-slip textured finish is not only safe; as the waterproof coating is permanent, it means there’s no plastic to throw away!” said James Carter, Director of Blue Sky Property Services.

All West Fraser panel products produced in the UK are net carbon negative and manufactured in mills that have obtained the coveted environmental ISO 14001 accreditation. Responsibly sourced, the panels are FSC certified and created from locally grown timber, cutting embodied carbon from transportation. Samples of SterlingOSB Zero, and West Fraser’s other construction panels, can be ordered on the website.

For further information, call 01786 812 921 or visit Uk.westfraser.com

 

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