Building a Net Zero Laboratory in the United Arab Emirates: Mission Impossible?
Gordon Sharp, Aircuity, Inc.
Given their intense use of outside air and safety concerns, laboratories are one of the most challenging building types to achieve net zero energy. In fact, some might say it can't be done, at least within many climates. However, a path does exist to achieve net zero energy, or at least near net zero energy, using multiple technologies such as VAV laboratory and exhaust fan control, demand-based control of air changes per hour (ACHs), chilled beam or hydronic cooling, and heat recovery. During this presentation, the speaker will explore this topic from a holistic viewpoint and provide an actual case study of a large near net zero laboratory project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This project, known as the Masdar City project in Abu Dhabi, UAE is one of the largest and most aggressive sustainable building projects in the world. The Abu Dhabi government is attempting to build an entire six-square-kilometer community, including a new university, as a highly sustainable, near net zero carbon community. A variety of new technologies are being used, which include waste to energy systems and the replacement of cars in some areas with automated personal electric vehicles.
The first part of the project focuses on the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), a new university focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency research in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Approximately 500,000 square feet of mixed-use space has been completed, including almost 75,000 square feet of net laboratory space and a small cleanroom. Another 1,000,000 square feet of facilities is currently under construction, which includes about 150,000 square feet of potential laboratory space.
During this presentation, the speaker will provide an overview of the project and some of its innovative features, plus a detailed description of the HVAC system and its energy-efficient design approaches. For example, fume hood sash closers were combined with reducing fume hood minimum flow rates down to those recommended by the new American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)/American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z9.5 standard. Demand-based control of laboratory area ventilation was also used to reduce air change per hour (ACH) rates to two ACH day and night when the laboratory areas are clean of contaminants and even less when laboratory areas are not set up for use. The use of chilled beams with fan powered boxes, as well as heat recovery technology, was employed for further energy savings.
The speaker will also analyze the energy savings contribution of the total HVAC system and compare it to a more conventional VAV air system design. Finally, the speaker will analyze and compare major energy conservation components to see how much each contributed to create a near net zero energy result in an extremely harsh climate with some of the worst temperature and humidity design conditions in the world.
Biography:
Gordon Sharp, the chairman of Aircuity, Inc., has more than 25 years of wide-ranging entrepreneurial experience and holds more than 25 U.S. patents in the fields of energy efficiency and laboratory controls. As founder, former president, and chief executive officer of Phoenix Controls, Mr. Sharp led the development of this world leader in laboratory airflow controls that was acquired by Honeywell in 1998. In 2000, Mr. Sharp founded Aircuity, a smart airside energy efficiency company that was spun out of Honeywell.
Mr. Sharp is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree and master's degree in electrical engineering. Mr. Sharp is a member of the Board of Directors of I2SL, the nonprofit foundation that cosponsors the Labs21 Annual Conference, a member of the ANSI/AIHA Z9.5 Laboratory Ventilation Committee, and a member of the ASHRAE SSPC standard 170 Ventilation of Health Care Facilities committee.