Objective
The aim of the project is the achievement of optimal standards of energy conservation in a city centre urban renewal project.
A gas fuelled Combined Heat and Power unit to be installed in the basement of the Civic Offices will be used to generate electricity and heat for the Civic Offices and heat for the neighbouring Hotels, Hostels and Apartments; This will result in a 50% reduction in primary energy consumption, a 65% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 25% reduction in heating costs. The project will serve as a flagship demonstration of the feasability of using CHP units to reduce energy consumption and cost and, most importantly, to reduce associated 'greenhouse' gas emissions.
A district heating system will be used to distribute heat energy from the CHP plant in the office complex. The saving in primary energy consumption will be 17,115,000 kWH/annum. The payback period will be 8.9 years.
The system was commissioned in December 1996. A one year monitoring campaign and tests have been done following the commissioning phase. During the monitoring campaign some modifications and improvements of the installation have been carried out.
Energy savings and environmental impact:
The overall energy savings achieved in primary energy consumption is 25% and the CO2 reduction is 40%.
Economic viability:
The project has demonstrated the present marginal economic viability of installations of this nature. After taking account of all financing costs and making appropriate allowances for depreciation the project has the potential to make some small profit for the company.
Consumers connected to the system, however, enjoy immediate economic benefits in the form of savings in energy costs ranging from 5% to 25%, due to an agreed discount.
REPLICATION
The project has served as a basis for the establishment of a company that is currently specializing in area of commercial BOO (Build, Own, Operate) contracts for the supply, installation and operation of similar systems elsewhere in Ireland.
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY :
The whole project is innovatory. The combination of a services retro-fit project in a large existing office complex with the refurbishment and renewal of an adjoining historic city centre site in a way that achieves major energy savings is whithout precedent. The technologies that will be incorporated in the scheme enable energy to be generated, distributed, stored and recovered with exceptional efficiency.
The integration of the energy systems serving a large office complex and adjoining cultural, residential and small-business buildings results in an energy demand that is ideally suited for CHP application. Associated CO2 emissions will be reduced by 65%. New buildings will be designed to a brief that ensures the use of the highest energy conservation standards and maximum use of passive solar energy.
CONTEXT :
The area of Temple Bar was laid out in the centre of Dublin during two phases of urban development in the 1680's and again in the 1730's. In 1991, Temple Bar Properties LTd commissioned a framework plan for the area that sought to promote the public aspects of the urban framework, the design of public space (streets and squares) and among other things, to provide residential and hotel accomodation. The startegic importance of Temple bar within the city of Dublin lies in its location between two principle retail and business areas of the city and at the heart of the historic centre of the city between Trinity College Dublin and Christchurch Cathedral. The proposed increase in the residential population in the Temple Bar area is intended to act as a catalyst for further residential development in the city and, hopefully, as a stimulus for the re-population of the centre of Dublin. The development is unique in that it creates an unprecedented opportunity for the interaction of cultural urban development and commercial values. It will serve as a valuable reference case for many similar urban renewal projects.
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
DEM - Demonstration contractsCoordinator
2 Dublin
Ireland