It should be noted, that for most new developments nowadays it is not feasible to become net zero within the possibilities of the design (energy and material efficiency measures), so the use of carbon offset schemes and PPA is essential.. Why should we focus on sustainable construction and net zero carbon?.
alongside the main guide, which offers supplementary guidance to those interested in exploring embodied carbon in more detail.Helen Hough, our Head of Sustainability, who led the graphics team for the main guide and participated in the workshops collating industry knowledge for the.
Embodied Carbon Primer.says, ‘Reducing embodied carbon is just as important as reducing operational carbon, if not more so, as its effect on our environment is mostly felt on day one of a building.Embodied Carbon Primer.
has been written to overcome the knowledge gap in the industry of how to reduce embodied carbon and how we can apply these strategies to our current and future projects.’.Bryden Wood’s work on Landsec’s Sumner Street office scheme is featured as a case study because it delivers a significant reduction of embodied carbon intensity versus that of a traditional design.
This efficiency is made possible by using P-DfMA (Platforms approach to design for manufacture and assembly) to optimise the use of materials whilst minimising the construction programme and limiting construction waste.
Cundall, an engineering and sustainability consultancy, has produced an independent comparison of the embodied carbon between the traditional and P-DfMA designs, and found a 19.4%* reduction in embodied carbon per m. 2. in the P-DfMA design, a 36.4% carbon reduction in the substructure and a 20.21% reduction in the superstructure and facade..We do need to ensure our long-term solutions for storing spent fuel are fit for purpose, but we will only have the time to worry about that if we tackle the immediate climate crisis.. As such, although nuclear energy itself isn’t technically renewable, we can be confident of the fact that it is a flexible, clean energy source already known to complement renewables well, and which can be used to create a reliable power grid.. 8.
Flexible, advanced reactors sit alongside wind and solar in markets with high penetrations of renewables, and can enable similarly high penetrations of variable renewables in future energy systems.Together, renewables plus advanced nuclear (with thermal energy storage) can reduce emissions and improve performance in future electricity grids, lowering overall system cost.. 9.
Current and emerging advanced heat sources (new generation nuclear reactors) can do more than just provide reliable, clean electricity.They can offer added flexibility for power grids, decarbonise heating and industrial processes, and produce low-cost hydrogen and synthetic fuels..