Towards Net Zero Carbon Economy: Improving the Sustainability of Existing Industrial Infrastructures in the UK

Ali Shubbar, Mohammed Nasr, Mayadah Falah and Zainab Al-Khafaji
Additional contact information
Ali Shubbar: School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
Mohammed Nasr: Technical Institute of Babylon, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University (ATU), Babylon 51015, Iraq
Mayadah Falah: Building and Construction Engineering Technology Department, AL-Mustaqbal University College, Hillah 51001, Iraq
Zainab Al-Khafaji: Al-Furrat Al-Awsat Distribution Foundation, Ministry of Oil, Babylon 51001, Iraq

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 18, 1-11

Abstract: To comply with the new net zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) target set by the United Kingdom government by 2050, different sectors including the industrial sector are required to take action to achieve this target. Improving the building envelope and production of clean energy on site are among the activities that should be considered by businesses to reduce their carbon emissions. This research analysis the current energy performance and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions of an industrial building in Liverpool, UK utilizing the Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment (IESVE) software modeling. Then it has proposed some methods for improving the current performance and reduce the carbon footprint of the building. The results indicated that the installation of wall and floor insulation could decrease the energy usage and CO 2 emissions of the building by about 56.39%. Additionally, the production of clean energy on site using solar photovoltaic (PV) panels could reduce the annual CO 2 emissions by up to 16%. Furthermore, this research provided some figures about offsetting the rest of CO 2 emissions using different international offsetting schemes to achieve carbon neutrality of the building.

Keywords: carbon neutrality; CO 2 emissions; carbon offsetting; clean energy; insulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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