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CASE STUDY
TITLE: SELF-SUFFICIENT BUIDINGS

GREEN CHEMISTRY &

COURSE
TECHNOLOGY
COURSE CODE CMT650
1. SITI SOLEHAH BINTI SALLEH
(2020958209)
2. SITI SOLEHAH BINTI
NOORZAIMI
(2020957711)
3. NURFATIN ATHIRAH BINTI
ABDUL HARITH
GROUP NAME
(2020981009)
4. NUR FIKRIYAH BINTI ARIFFIN
(2020996635)
5. NUR ‘FATIN FATIHAH BINTI
NAZRI
(2020971951)
CLASS RAS2456C
DR. MOHAMMAD SAILFULDDIN BIN
LECTURER
MOHD AZAMI
SUBMISSION DATE 29/06/2022
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We are grateful to Almighty God for giving us the strength, knowledge and understanding to

complete this case study. His love has been more than sufficient to keep and sustain us.

Upon completion of this project, we would like to express our gratitude to many parties. Our

heartfelt thanks go to our lecturer, Dr. Mohammad Saifulddin bin Mohd Azami, for his

enthusiasm, patience, helpful information, practical advice, and unceasing ideas that have

helped us tremendously at all times in our research and writing of this case study. His immense

knowledge, profound experience and professional expertise in Green Chemistry and

Technology has enabled us to complete this case study successfully. Without his support and

guidance, this case study would not have been possible. We could not have imagined having a

better lecturer in my study.

We also wish to acknowledge the great support of our parents, siblings who have been a source

of inspiration towards my academic pursuit. We will not cease to acknowledge the support of

my friends.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………………i

Table of content……………………………………………………………………………ii

Executive summary………………………………………………………………………..iii

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..1

Findings……………………………………………………………………………………2

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………4

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………6

Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………7

References………………………………………………………………………………….8

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Due to the general unprecedented comfortable lifestyle that people are becoming accustomed

to, global energy demand is rapidly increasing. Newly introduced heavy electrical loads, such

as electric vehicles and battery storage systems, necessitate a large amount of energy. The main

issue is that they can introduce peak demands at certain times, affecting grid stability.

Renewable energy sources such as PV, wind turbines, and concentrated solar power

technologies are being promoted to address this issue. Such systems necessitate a large amount

of land, whereas traditional coal or fuel-based thermal power plants necessitate a smaller

amount of land.

Many initiatives have been made in recent years to make farther step toward green cities and

conversion from traditional fossil to renewable power plants. Following several catastrophic

tragedies induced by climate change, it has become clear that further actions are needed to

change to a sustainable future society with little influence on nature and the natural

environment. Integrating renewable energy technology into buildings is one alternative. There

are a few innovative technologies that can be used for the self-sufficient buildings which is use

of smart appliances, biodegradable materials, 3D printing, smart appliances, electrochromic

glass, green insulation, and cool roofs. From the findings, one of the problems in developing

self-sufficient building is the cost of sustainable building process and materials are higher.

As a conclusion the energy self-sufficient building is a promising solution in which each

building can generate its own energy without relying on an outside source. In this way,

buildings can be considered as autonomous and self-sufficient units without a need to build or

invest in transmission and distribution infrastructures. The only constraints and challenges to

achieving such a self-sufficient structure are the low efficiency of renewable energy technology

and the high cost of batteries, for example when commercialised the solar panel systems.

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1. INTRODUCTION

The control of the use of fossil fuels, major cause of greenhouse gas emissions and climate

change in presents day represents one of governments’ main challenges particularly a

significant energy consumption is observed in buildings and might be significantly reduced

through sustainable design, increase energy efficiency and use of renewable energy. Now that

the effects of climate change are visible and indisputable, consumers are more environmentally

conscious than ever. In fact, as a United Nations 2021 study suggests, 85% of them reveal that

sustainability plays a key role when making their purchase decisions, motivating businesses

and manufacturers to respond accordingly (Ayarkwa et al., 2022). This explains the rising

demand for electric vehicles and products made of renewable or recyclable materials. However,

architecture and especially traditional housing seems to be several steps behind compared to

other industries. Although there are numerous efforts to move towards a greener built

environment, the way most buildings are made today continues to be outdated, creating

tremendous amounts of waste and significantly contributing to the global carbon footprint.

Self-sufficient building is a building that involves disconnecting a building from energy

networks, it must be an energy-efficient which mean it has a low energy footprint. About 40%

less consumption than modern building and has zero carbon footprint (Alshayeb & Chang,

2016). Besides, it also known as autonomous building which is a building designing system,

that operate independently from all infrastructural services like the electric supply grid, gas

grid, water supply grid, sewage systems, water draining system, in some cases road or

communication services. The use of thermoelectric components to heat and cool the civil

building is an example for self-sufficient building. They have two essential advantages if

compared to any competitor: simplicity and low impact. Otherwise, their power is low and

requires large surfaces or high energy efficiency buildings. The design of the innovative

thermoelectric heat pump is produced by coupling two types of thermoelectric equipment

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which are the junction box of photovoltaic modules and Peltier cells. It has been evaluated the

possibility of installation on a container house, for civil inhabitation.

Figure 1:Example of self-sufficient building

The purpose of this study is to identify the key points of the problems or issue regarding the

self-sufficient building and provide the innovation on the chemical process, to demonstrated

the advantages and disadvantages of the self-sufficient building and to discuss the innovation

technology or chemical process in order to solve the drawback related to the self-sufficient

building.

2. FINDINGS

Many initiatives have been made in recent years to make farther step toward green cities and

conversion from traditional fossil to renewable power plants. Following several catastrophic

tragedies induced by climate change, it has become clear that further actions are needed to

2
change to a sustainable future society with little influence on nature and the natural

environment. Integrating renewable energy technology into buildings is one alternative. This

enables local energy generation, which may meet a portion of the building's energy needs (El-

Bayeh et.al, n.d).

The main challenge with self-sufficient buildings is the increased expense of green

building techniques and raw material. The expense of sustainable building is projected to be

1% to 25% more than the cost of traditional building. The increased expense is due for to the

difficulty of the design, as well as modelling and sustainable strategies. Sustainable building

materials are 3-4% more expensive than standard building materials. The excessive expenses

of sustainable building have an influence on the project management team since they will be

held responsible for dealing with it and completing their efforts in a budgeted cost (Ayarkwa

et al., 2022).

In addition, there are other constraints to adopting renewable energy technology for buildings,

including their low efficiency, the huge exterior area required to construct the structure, and

the expensive storage cost. As a result, depending only on renewable energy technologies to

provide the whole load demand in the building becomes difficult. Another study is to use

advanced optimization algorithms and models to schedule and regulate energy consumption in

buildings and residences.

Ayarkwa et al., (2022) also highlighted disadvantages related to self-sufficient building, such

as low client request for sustainable building, insufficient sustainable strategic planning, high

the charge of sustainable practises, general inexperience of the fact of sustainable practises,

lack of government funding, lack of collaboration, lack of appropriate building regulations, and

an absence of suitable tools for measurement.

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According to Epstein (2021), self-sufficient structures are preferable since they are made from

natural substances less dangerous elements. This can lessen sensitivities, asthmatic, or other

respiratory illnesses, resulting in lower healthcare expenses. Therefore, higher-quality

construction materials must last longer and require fewer maintenance. This structure uses

solar, wind, and geothermal energy to reduce its reliance on traditional energy sources. Self-

sufficient buildings are also built using more practical and renewable materials that are

recyclable, reusable, and nontoxic. Finally, because of the materials utilised, this self-sufficient

structure provides a greater return on investment and has a longer lifespan.

3. DISCUSSION

There are a few innovative technologies that can be used for the self-sufficient buildings which

is use of smart appliances, biodegradable materials, 3D printing, smart appliances,

electrochromic glass, green insulation and cool roofs. From the findings, one of the problems

in developing self-sufficient building is the cost of sustainable building process and materials

are higher. This is because sustainability is a concept that require a long term view to appreciate

its cost benefits where considerations must be given to the initial cost and the ongoing cost of

the project. In the long term, the cost benefits of sustainable construction can be realized, but

the initial capital outlay in constructing a sustainable building is high regardless of the

substantial building process adopted (Ayarkwa et al., 2022). Typically, stakeholders believe

they don't need to invest a lot of money on sustainable construction because the traditional

approach is less expensive. Therefore, the project management team faces a difficulty in

persuading clients and stakeholders of the benefits of adopting sustainable building processes.

First and foremost, responsible party should educate stakeholders and people on the potential

advantages of green building. Since not everyone is aware of the advantages of sustainable

buildings, this will help them see the advantages of it. This can reduce a few problem regarding

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self-sufficient building which is low client demand for sustainable construction, lack of

government support and general ignorance of the fact of sustainable practices.

Architects can choose materials that are produced locally and using recycled materials. The

materials can be anything, including wood from merchants, bamboo, or other renewable

materials. In addition, to solve the problems regarding self-sufficient building, usage of

renewable sources also one of the solution. For example, as stated by Irulegi et al (2014), in

Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 competition, Ekihouse prototype is built as industrialized solar

house which are designed and developed by the University of the Basque Country. The building

strategies are based on the full integration of active passive solar technologies and passive

design criteria in order to achieve an energy self-sufficient proposal. Ekihouse consist of a

modular CLT structure system that supports the photovoltaic roof which serves as canopy to

shield the southern facade from direct solar radiation and lessen overheating issues inside the

structure. The photovoltaic roof or cool roof can reflect more of the sun’s rays than your

average roof, and prevent the warm or cool air inside from escaping through the top of a

building. In addition, it can improve the interior temperature of a building, either by reflecting

intense heat or trapping the air inside. That reduces the strain placed in air conditioning system,

thereby reducing the emissions that result from powering our heating and cooling (Alshayeb &

Chang, 2016). This shows the advantage of using renewable sources in self sufficient building.

Moreover, regarding problem to adopt renewable energy technology where it need a storage

can be solved by using hydrogen. As stated by Marino et al. (2013), recently hydrogen shown

to be particularly fit in order to be used as an energetic carrier as it can be produced, stored and

used in advanced systems associated with plants for energy production from renewable sources.

In addition, hydrogen and fuel cell technologies offer a pathway to enable the use of clean

energy systems, reduce emission, enhance energy security and stimulate global economy. As a

part of a portfolio of clean energy technologies, including energy efficiency, renewable energy

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and fuels and battery-electric vehicles, a wide spread use of hydrogen and fuel cells in the

economy will help to achieve the above goals (Marino et al., 2013). Furthermore, smart

appliances can solve the problem regarding low efficient. Nowadays smart appliances are

created that can save money and energy where they are built to prioritize energy efficiency,

which can reduce a structure’s carbon footprint. In addition to that, some of the appliances have

a features that designed to improve sustainability (Lee & Lam, 2018).

4. CONCLUSION

As a conclusion the energy self-sufficient building is a promising solution in which each

building can generate its own energy without relying on an outside source. In this way,

buildings can be considered as autonomous and self-sufficient units without a need to build or

invest in transmission and distribution infrastructures. The only constraints and challenges to

achieving such a self-sufficient structure are the low efficiency of renewable energy technology

and the high cost of batteries, for example when commercialised the solar panel systems.

However the designers of green buildings try as much as possible to reduce dependency on

energy from non-renewable sources such as coal. To this end, they install solar panels to make

use of energy from the sun, and design windows in a way that allows as much natural light as

possible and reduces the use of artificial light as the another methods to ensure that the building

uses energy in an efficient manner. Energy efficiency is essential not only for the user but also

for the entire world because non-renewable energy sources are expensive and pollute the

environment. Therefore these self-sufficient buildings giving positive reaction in that can

contribute to keeping the environment clean and enable to reducing usage of energy sources

that pollute the environment such as coal. In addition, by reducing the levels of carbon oxide

emitted to the atmosphere, it helps to lessen the pace of climate change.

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5. RECOMMENDATION

There are two main recommendation should be attained to maximize the energy self-sufficient

building ratio which are minimize the energy demand in building and maximize the energy

production from renewable sources which the building becomes more independent and energy

self-sufficient. Hence, there is no or little need for extra energy from other external sources.

A. Minimize the energy demand in a building by:

• Using highly efficient electrical appliances, which may reduce energy use by about 20-

30%. For example by using motion and occupancy sensors, this can detect the

movement of the residents and act accordingly by turning on/off some appliances. Thus,

it saves about 20-40% of energy (Rosati et al.,2022).

• Furthermore, applying smart building or home energy management systems and

optimization algorithms, this can control and schedule the power consumption of

electrical appliances and equipment. This can able reduce energy waste and increase

the efficiency of the building.

B. Maximize energy production from renewable sources by:

• Using rooftop, facades, and windows to install solar and other renewable energy

technologies. These technologies can be Photovoltaic, wind turbines, or concentrated

solar power technologies. Additionally, these renewable energy technologies together

installed with energy storage systems, such as batteries and phase-change materials or

solar water heater, can increasing the local energy production by using the same surface

of buildings (Marino et al., 2013).

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 • Besides that in order to optimization the algorithms, make sure choose the best

renewable energy technology and model for a specific building in a way to minimize

the investment cost, payback period and maximize energy production.

6. REREFENCE LIST

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Choice. Procedia Engineering, 145, 1104–1109.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.04.143

2. Argyrou, M. C., Marouchos, C. C., Kalogirou, S. A., & Christodoulides, P. (2021). A

novel power management algorithm for a residential grid-connected PV system with

battery-supercapacitor storage for increased self-consumption and self-sufficiency.

Energy Conversion and Management, 246, 114671.

3. Ayarkwa, J., Joe Opoku, D. G., Antwi-Afari, P., & Man Li, R. Y. (2022). Sustainable

building processes’ challenges and strategies: The relative important index approach.

Cleaner Engineering and Technology, 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2022.100455

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 production using artificial intelligence: Case of Europoint complex in Rotterdam.
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