CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
1.1. General

The construction sector poses a major challenge to the environment. Globally, buildings are
responsible for at least 40% of energy use. An estimated 42% of the global water
consumption and 50% of the global consumption of raw materials is consumed by buildings
when taking into account the manufacture, construction, and operational period of buildings.
In addition, building activities contribute an estimated 50% of the world’s air pollution, 42%
of its greenhouse gases, 50% of all water pollution, 48% of all solid wastes and 50% of all
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) to the environment.
As we chart our developmental path, it is important for us to keep our eyes on the
environmental damage that we create. It is extremely important to pause for a while and carry
out necessary course correction for benefit of the Mother Earth and our future generations. It
is a well established fact that green buildings offer immense potential to reduce consumption
and regenerate resources from waste and renewable sources and offer win-win solution for
user, owner and the environment.

1.2. Green Building

Green Building also known as a green construction or sustainable building is designed to

meet objectives such as occupant health, using water and other resources more efficiently and
reducing the overall impact to the environment. A green building depletes the natural
resources to a minimum during its construction and operation. The aim of a green building
design is to minimize the demand on non-renewable resources, maximize the utilization
efficiency of these resources when in use, and maximize the reuse, recycling, and utilization
of renewable resources. It maximizes the use of efficient building materials and construction
practices; optimizes the use of on-site sources and sinks by bioclimatic architectural
practices; uses minimum energy to power itself; uses efficient equipment to meet its
lighting, air conditioning, and other needs; maximizes the use of renewable sources of
energy; uses efficient waste and water management practices; and provides comfortable and
hygienic indoor working conditions. It is evolved through a design process that requires input
from all concerned– the architect; landscape designer; and the air conditioning, electrical,
plumbing, and energy consultants – to work as a team to address all aspects of building and
system planning, designing, construction, and operation. They critically evaluate the impacts
of each design decision and arrive at viable design solutions to minimize the negative impacts
and enhance the positive impacts on the environment.

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 Fig1.1. Schematic diagram highlighting select green building features

Hence the following aspects of a green building design are looked into in an
integrated way :
 Site planning
 Building envelope design
 Building system design (HVAC [heating ventilation and air conditioning], lighting,
electrical, and water heating)
 Integration of renewable energy sources to generate energy on-site
 Water and waste management
 Selection of ecologically sustainable materials (with high recycled content, rapidly
renewable resources with low emission potential, and so on)
 Indoor environmental quality (maintain indoor thermal and visual comfort and air
quality)

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 Fig. 1.2 Cross section through a typical building highlighting
select green features

1.3. Benefits of Green Building

A green building has lower resource consumption as compared to conventional buildings.

The following is the percentage reduction of various resources in a building and their
respective reasons.
1. Green buildings consume 40% to 60% (depending on the range of measures adopted)
lesser electricity as compared to conventional buildings. This is primarily because
they rely on passive architectural interventions in the building design, and high
efficiency materials and technologies in the engineering design of the building.
2. Green Buildings also attempt to work towards on-site energy generation through
renewable energy utilization to cater to its energy needs. For instance, solar thermal

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 systems can help generate hot-water and replace the conventional electrical geyser in
buildings. Solar PV panels can help generate electricity which can reduce the
buildings dependence on grid power.
3. Green buildings consume 40% to 80% (depending on the range of measures adopted)
lesser water as compared to conventional buildings. By utilizing ultra low-flow
fixtures, dual plumbing systems, waste-water recycling systems and rain-water
harvesting, green buildings not only reduce their demand for water use but also look
at on-site supply options to cater to its internal and external (landscape) water
demands.
4. Green buildings generate lesser waste by employing waste management strategies on
site. They may also employ waste to energy or waste to resource (like manure, or
compost) strategies onsite, to minimize their burden on municipal waste management
facilities and landfills.
5. Green buildings generate lesser pollution both during construction as well as while in
use.Through best-practices such as proper storage of construction materials,
barricading of the site to prevent air and noise pollution during construction, proper
storage and disposal of waste during construction and operation, and so on, ensures
reduced impact on the surrounding environment.
6. Green buildings ensure proper safety, health and sanitation facilities for the labourers
(during construction) and the occupants (while in use).
7. Green buildings restrict the use of high ODP (ozone depleting potential) substances
in their systems as well as in finishes.
8. Green buildings offer higher image and marketability.

All of these can be achieved at a minimal incremental cost with an estimated payback period
of about 3–5 years (excepting renewable energy for power generation).

1.4. Criteria for Green Building

Criterion 1: Site Selection

Criterion 2: Preserve and protect landscape during construction (selectively applicable)
Criterion 3: Soil conservation (till post-construction)
Criterion 4: Design to include existing site features
Criterion 5: Reduce hard paving on-site and/or provide shaded hard-paved surfaces
Criterion 6: Enhance outdoor lighting system efficiency and use renewable energy system
for meeting outdoor lighting requirement
Criterion 7: Plan utilities efficiently and optimize on-site circulation efficiency
Criterion 8: Provide minimum level of sanitation/safety facilities for construction workers
Criterion 9: Reduce air pollution during construction
Criterion 10: Reduce landscape water requirement
Criterion 11: Reduce water use in the building
Criterion 12: Efficient water use during construction
Criterion 13: Optimize building design to reduce conventional energy demand
Criterion 14: Optimize energy performance of building within specified comfort limits
Criterion 15: Utilization of fly-ash in building structure
Criterion 16: Reduce volume, weight, and construction time by adopting efficient
technologies (such as pre-cast systems)
Criterion 17: Use low-energy material in interiors
Criterion 18: Renewable energy utilization

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Criterion 19: Renewable-energy-based hot water system
Criterion 20: Waste water treatment
Criterion 21: Water recycle and reuse (including rainwater)
Criterion 22: Reduction in waste during construction
Criterion 23: Efficient waste segregation
Criterion 24: Storage and disposal of wastes
Criterion 25: Resource recovery from waste
Criterion 26: Use low-VOC paints/adhesives/sealants
Criterion 27: Minimize ozone depleting substances
Criterion 28: Ensure water quality
Criterion 29: Acceptable outdoor and indoor noise levels
Criterion 30: Tobacco smoke control
Criterion 31: Provide at least the minimum level of accessibility for persons with disabilities
Criterion 32: Energy audit and validation
Criterion 33: Operation and maintenance
Criterion 34: Innovation points

1.5. History of Green Building

1.5.1. Green Building in World

The green building field stated to rise in popularity in the nineties and one of the first
milestones for the green movement in the United States was in 1989 when the American
Association of Architects (AIA) formed the Committee on the Environment. This
organization released a book in 1992; this was the Environmental Resource Guide, which was
paid for by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Also in 1992 the EPA and the
Department of Energy launched the Energy Star program, which is more popular now than
ever before. 1992 also saw the first US city, Austin, TX; release a local green housing
program.

The following year, 1993 saw many more advancements in the Green Revolution and the
United States Green Building Council (USGBC) was founded. The White House also had
many green renovation projects done during the Clinton administration in 1993. More and
more people started realizing the benefits and started making small changes in their homes by
going energy star with appliances. In 1998 the USGBC launched their Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) program and they helped contribute to the future of green
building. These different programs have helped make many changes when it comes to
environmentally friendly construction and they are a big part of the history of building green.

1.5.2. Green Buildings in India

Depleting natural resources, rapid industrialization and urbanization has led to negative
impact in the environment. Eco friendly building that are energy efficient and uses water
management technique are the need of the hour. Some of India’s Green Buildings are :

1. ITC Green Centre , Gurgaon

2. Patni (i-GATE)Knowledge Centre , Noida
3. Olympia Tech Park, Chennai
4. Infinity Benchmark, Kolkata

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 5. CRISIL House, Mumbai
6. Indira Paryavaran Bhawan
7. ITC Maurya Hotel, New Delhi
8. Infosys, Hyderabad
9. Cisco Building, Banglore
10. Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Building, Hyderabad

1.5.3. Green Building in Assam

Assam Water Research and Management Institute (AWRMI) is the first green building in
Assam. It is conceived for FREMMA (Flood and River Bank Erosion Management Agency
Assam. Govt of Assam) and funded by ADB as part of the greater mandate to improve the
management and understanding of Water resources' in the region.DHI(I) Water and
Environment Pvt Ltd is the Consultant appointed by FREMAA for the entire Institutional
Strengthening component of the Project and this building is a key part of it. The Building is
to house the headquarters of FREMAA and other agencies that will be working in this field.It
has a built up area of around 80000 Sqft including a 200 Seat Seminar Hall. It is spread over
5 floors with special emphasis on natural lighting and passive shading arrangement

Fig 1.3: Site plan of AWRMI with site features

1.6. Objective of Study

Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building) refers to both a
structure and the using of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource
efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from sitting to design, construction, operation,
maintenance, renovation, and demolition. In other words, green building design involves
finding the balance between homebuilding and the sustainable environment. This requires
close cooperation of the design team, the architects, the engineers, and the client at all project

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stages. The Green Building practice expands and complements the classical building design
concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. The main objectives to build a green
building are :

1. Design efficiency

2. Energy efficiency

3. Water efficiency

4. Materials efficiency

5. Indoor Air Quality

6. Waste reduction

1.7. Method

The use of brick and other building material has been replaced by eco friendly materials like
wood, clay bamboo ,etc. The rain water has been collected and utilized for day to day use by
the process of water harvesting to reduce the usage of water. Solar panels and inverters has
been used to utilize the solar energy and generate electricity to reduce the usage of
hydroelectric power.LPG gas is replaced by Bio Gas Plant to reduce the consumption of
limited natural oil that is available. Finally the building is oriented and design in such a way
that it reduces the effect of direct sunlight and also circulated air in the entire structure.

Hence by the application of the above mentioned processes the cost and maintenances of the
building can be reduced and also reduce the use of limited natural resources like air, water etc
.

1.8. Outline of Study

In this study we tried to reduce the usage of the limited natural resources and make an eco
friendly structure from the materials and sources available in Guwahati.

Chapter 1 consists of brief and concise introduction about Green Building , its objective ,
history , methods used for the project.

Chapter 2 consists in details about the various objectives of Green Building.

Chapter 3 consists of origin of Green Building and its rapid expansion in the world.

Chapter 4 consists the various calculations and assumptions used to find the return period of
the project.

Chapter 5 gives the final result why normal building should be replaced by green building .

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 Chapter 2

Objective of Study
2.1. General

In recent years the world has seen a surge of individuals who are concerned by the
environment, as well as companies who are engaging in corporate social responsibility. There
are many ways to reduce environmental impact, from installing expensive wind turbines to
turning off the tap while we brush our teeth. Green building is one way to reduce resource
consumption and minimize long-term costs. There are six principles of green building and the
objective is to optimise at least one of them.

1. Design efficiency

This is the concept stage of sustainable building and has the largest impact on cost and
performance. It aims to minimize the environmental impact associated with all life-cycle
stages of the building process.

2.Energy efficiency

Examples of ways to reduce energy use include insulating walls, ceilings, and floors, and
building high efficiency windows. The layout of a building, such as window placement, can
be strategised so that natural light pours through for additional warmth. Similarly, shading the
roof with trees offers an eco-friendly alternative to air conditioning.

3. Water efficiency

To reduce water consumption and protect water quality, facilities should aim to increase their
use of water which has been collected, used, purified and reused. They should also make it a
goal to reduce waste water by using products such as ultra-low flush toilets and low-flow
shower heads.

4. Materials efficiency

To minimize environmental impact, facilities should use materials that have been recycled
and can generate a surplus of energy. A good example of this are solar power panels. Not only
do they offer lighting but they are also a valuable energy source. Low-power LED lighting
technology reduce energy consumption and energy bills, so everyone wins!

5. Indoor Air Quality

Reduce volatile organic compounds and provide adequate ventilation by choosing

construction materials and interior finish products with low-zero emissions. This will vastly
improve a building's indoor air quality.

6. Waste reduction

It is possible to reuse resources. What may be waste to us might have another benefit to
something else, like grey water that can be changed into fertilizer. Grey water is wastewater

9
from sources such as dishwashers and washing machines which can easily be reused for
purposes such as flushing toilets or power-washing decks.

Sustainable building evidently requires creativity, great planning, and of course,

resourcefulness. But in the long-run it offers reduced costs and more protection for the planet,
so do your part and have a little fun while you do.

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 Chapter 3

Literature Review
3.1. General

A literature review is a text of a scholarly paper, which include the current knowledge
including a substantive finding, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a
particular topic. Some of the reviews are

3.1.1. By Ramesh S P ,Emran Khan M(2013),ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN

GREEN BUILDINGS – INDIAN CONCEPT

Climate change, caused by the release of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide)
into the atmosphere, has been recognized as one of the greatest threats of the 21st
century. Share of energy consumption in India and China has also been on the raise
due to sharp urbanization, population explosion, and intensive growth of IT and
related business. Buildings are the dominant energy consumers in modern cities
account upto 40% energy consumption. Their consumption can be largely cut back
through improving efficiency, which is an effective means to lessen greenhouse gas
emissions and slow down depletion of non- renewable energy resources. There is over
50% saving potential in the building sector and thus it is considered as a potential
sector to meet the challenges of global energy and climate change. Along with
introduction of energy efficiency measures, more effective means are needed to
induce or compel greater efforts, especially to the signatories to the Kyoto Protocol.
This technical paper discusses the role of energy efficiency in green buildings in
Indian scenario to reduce the energy consumption and environmental degradation
through Green House Gas emission (GHG). The possibility and benefits of
harmonizing governmental and private-sector schemes are also discussed.

3.1.2. By Kushagra Varma, MayankChaurasia, Prasenjit Shukla, Tariq Ahmed

(2014), Green Building Architecture: A Literature Review on Designing
Techniques

Buildings are found to be both, one of the biggest consumer of energy and producer of
greenhouse gases. It has become a global issue. According to the National Institute of
Building Sciences(USA), buildings generate 35 percent of the carbon dioxide (the
primary greenhouse gas associated with climate change), 49 percent of the sulphur
dioxide, and 25 percent of the nitrogen oxide found in the air. Since buildings are
accountable for this scenario, it has imposed an immediate requirement to not only
think of, but implement sustainability in every new construction instantly. This will
render us a sustained environment and a healthy ecosystem. Green Buildings are
buildings that subscribe to the principle of conscientious handling of natural
resources, which means causing as little environmental interference as possible, using

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environment friendly materials, requires low operational energy, utilizes renewable
sources of energy to fulfil its requirements, follows high-quality and longevity as a
guideline for construction and last but not least, must be economically viable. Albeit
the problem is common in developing nations. The paper focuses on green design as a
vital transformation of contemporary architecture practiced in developing nations. It
endeavours to present some environmental and physical design approaches for green
buildings in promptly developing countries chiefly India. In this regard, the study
presents hands on analysis of basics and principles of green architecture, theories and
viewpoints outlined in the field and also the analysis of efficacious cases of
environment friendly buildings in India.

3.1.3. By GuoLiqiao (2010), Sustainable Development of Systematic

Modularized Low-carbon Eco-Cities

This paper reviews the development of China's building energy-saving and green
building in recent years. It then proposes the right development philosophy and
measures for cities in China,i.e.low carbon urban development model with Chinese
characteristics should tackle both individual building level and city level-green
building and low carbon eco-city-at the same time. It classifies low carbon eco-city
into four major types and summarizes the initial exploration and implementation of
eco-city in China including Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city and Tangshan Caofeidian
Eco-City. Based on domestic and international experiences of low carbon eco-city
development, it proposes general strategies and specific requirements for low carbon
eco-city planning and development in China, and lists key technologies and measures
with highest potential for low carbon eco-city.

3.1.4. By Hemant Kumar and VaishaliSahu (2015), PERFORMANCE AND

RATING OF RESIDENTIAL GREEN BUILDING

The green building concept is becoming more and more popular these days because
these are considered as environment friendly building. The government is taking
appropriate steps in implementation of green building concepts by providing increase
in Floor area ratio. They are making action plan on climate change on sustainable
habitats by proposing smart city concepts. Further in addition to that BEE is putting
their effort on appliance labelling programme which helps in appraisal and clearance
of large construction projects. Several corporate organizations, institutions and
construction companies are now practising green building concept in the construction.
There are many green building rating systems in place. GRIHA (Green Rating for
Integrated Habitat Assessment) and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment
Design ) was developed in response to this need. The GRIHA is considered as Indian

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National Rating System which have been finalised after incorporating various
modifications suggested by a group of architects and experts. United States Green
Building Council administered (LEED) as the leading green building rating system
which is ranked first among other systems. LEED is contributing heavily in
converting the built environment towards sustainable development. The buildings
which come under GRIHA are those which are having land area more than 2,500
Sqm. (except for industrial complexes). These buildings can undergo this certification
programme. The GRIHA doesn’t cover buildings having area less than 2500 sqm so
the present study focuses on providing a rating system for small residential buildings.
By adopting this rating system more and more buildings may be covered for
sustainable development. It gives a boost to nearby surroundings.

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 CHAPTER 4

ANALYSIS OF GREEN BUILDING

4.1. General

Green Building also known as a green construction or sustainable building is designed to

meet objectives such as occupant health, using water and other resources more efficiently and
reducing the overall impact to the environment. In this project we have taken the plan of
Assam Water Resource and Management Institute (AWRMI) and observed and calculated the
various methods that were adopted in the construction and running of the building to make
better use of natural resources and reducing the usage of limited resources . The project is
future divided in four parts that is material, power , water harvesting and bio gas .

4.1.1. Material

Man made material like brick , cement etc can be replaced by natural materials having same
strength and having equal or more durability. Example of such materials are – Mud, Stone,
Bamboo etc.The various used also depends upon the availability and geological condition of
the area , weather etc.

4.1.1.1. Steps for Material Selection

Material selection can begin after the establishment of project-specific environmental goals.
The environmental assessment process for building material involves three basic steps.

1. Survey

2. Evaluation

3. Selection

1. Survey: This step involves gathering of all technical information about the material which
can be indentified, including manufacturers' information such as Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS), Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) test data, product warranties, source material
characteristics, recyclable content data, environmental, performance and durability
information. In addition, this step may also involve investigating other issues like building
codes, government regulations, building industry performance, model green building product
specifications etc. Such survey will help in identifying the full range of the project's material
options.

2. Evaluation: This step involves confirmation of the technical information, as well as filling
in information gaps. For example, the evaluator may request product certifications from

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manufacturers to help sort out possible exaggerated environmental product claims.
Evaluation and assessment is relatively simple when comparing similar types of building
materials using the environmental criteria. However, the evaluation process is more complex
when comparing different products with the same function. Then it may become necessary to
process both descriptive and quantitative forms of data.

3. Selection: This step often involves the use of an evaluation matrix for scoring the project-
specific environmental criteria. The total score of each product evaluation will indicate the
product with the highest environmental attributes. Individual criteria included in the rating
system can be weighted to accommodate project-specific goals and objectives.

4.1.1.2. Some Green Building Materials

1. Mud and clay

Fig

The amount of each material used leads to different styles of buildings. The deciding factor is
usually connected with the quality of the soil being used. Larger amounts of clay usually
mean using the cob/adobe style, while low clay soil is usually associated with sod building.

The other main ingredients include more or less sand/gravel and straw grasses. Soil and
especially clay is good thermal mass; it is very good at keeping temperatures at a constant

15
level. Homes built with earth tend to be naturally cool in the summer heat and warm in cold
weather.

Clay holds heat or cold, releasing it over a period of time like stone. Earthen walls change
temperature slowly, so artificially raising or lowering the temperature can use more resources
than in say a wood built house, but the heat/coolness stays longer.

Peoples building with mostly dirt and clay, such as cob, sod, and adobe, resulted in homes
that have been built for centuries in western and northern Europe as well as the rest of the
world, and continue to be built, though on a smaller scale.

2.Rammed earth:

Fig

Rammed earth is similar to adobe or cob construction, because its main component is soil,
clay and sand. Very little water is used during construction, so almost 3 m high walls can be
built in a day. Most of the Great Wall of China is either rammed earth or has a large
component of rammed earth as its base. Traditionally, rammed earth buildings are common in
arid regions where wood is in scarce supply.

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3.Wood:

fig

Wood is a product of trees, and sometimes other fibrous plants, used for construction
purposes when cut or pressed into lumber and timber, such as boards, planks and similar
materials. It is a generic building material and is used in building just about any type of
structure in most climates.

Wood can be very flexible under loads, keeping strength while bending, and is incredibly
strong when compressed vertically. There are many differing qualities to the different types of
wood, even among same tree species. This means specific species are better for various uses
than others. And growing conditions are important for deciding quality.

Historically, wood for building large structures was used in its unprocessed form as logs. The
trees were just cut to the needed length, sometimes stripped of bark, and then notched or
lashed into place. In earlier times, and in some parts of the world, many country homes or
communities had a personal wood-lot from which the family or community would grow and
harvest trees to build with. These lots would be tended to like a garden.

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4. Earthbag:

Building with earthbags (sometimes called sandbags) is both old and new. Sandbags have
long been used, particularly by the military for creating strong, protective barriers, or for
flood control. The same reasons that make them useful for these applications carry over to
creating housing: the walls are massive and substantial, they resist all kinds of severe weather
(or even bullets and bombs), and they can be erected simply and quickly with readily
available components.
Burlap bags were traditionally used for this purpose, and they work fine until they eventually
rot. Newer polypropylene bags have superior strength and durability, as long as they are kept
away from too much sunlight. For permanent housing the bags should be covered with some
kind of plaster for protection.

5.Poured earth:

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 Fig

Poured earth is similar to ordinary concrete, in that it is mixed and formed like concrete and
uses portland cement as a binder. The main difference is that instead of the sand/gravel used
as an aggregate in concrete, poured earth uses ordinary soil (although this soil needs to meet
certain specifications) and generally uses less portland cement.

Poured earth could be considered a “moderate strength concrete.” Little to no maintenance is

required of poured earth walls, since they have a high resistance to the deteriorating effects of
water and sun. When natural or synthetic fly ash and lime is added to the poured earth
mixture, the amount of Portland cement required can be reduced by up to 50%.

Magnesium oxide can also be used to help further reduce the use of Portland cement. Since
poured earth is similar to concrete, local suppliers can provide the product which can then be
pumped using traditional concrete pump trucks. Standard concrete forms can be used in
preparation for the pour.

It is possible to incorporate rigid insulation within a poured earth wall, so that there is a
thermal break between the exterior and the interior, thus allowing the interior portion of the
wall to serve as appropriate thermal mass for the building. Generally, poured earth walls
increase the overall cost of construction by 10% – 20%, mainly because of the custom nature
of the process. When more homes are built, then the economy of scale should make this
method competitive with traditional building

6.Rock:

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 Fig
Rock structures have existed for as long as history can recall. It is the longest lasting building
material available, and is usually readily available. There are many types of rock throughout
the world all with differing attributes that make them better or worse for particular uses.
Rock is a very dense material so it gives a lot of protection too, its main draw-back as a
material is its weight and awkwardness. Its energy density is also considered a big draw-back,
as stone is hard to keep warm without using large amounts of heating resources.

Mostly stone buildings can be seen in most major cities, some civilizations built entirely with
stone such as the Pyramids in Egypt, the Aztec Pyramid and the remains of the Inca
civilization.

7.Brush:

Fig

Brush structures are built entirely from plant parts and are generally found in tropical and
sub-tropical areas, such as rainforests, where very large leaves can be used in the building.
Native Americans often built brush structures for resting and living in, too. These are built
mostly with branches, twigs and leaves, and bark, similar to a beaver’s lodge. These were
variously named wickiups, lean-tos, and so forth.

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8. Limestone:

Fig

Limestone is perhaps the most prevalent building material obtained through mining. It is used
as a cladding material and plays an important role in the production of a wide range of
building products. Concrete and plaster are obvious examples of products that rely on
limestone; less obvious is the use of limestone in steel and glass production.

An abundant natural resource, limestone is found throughout the world. Most limestone is
crushed at the quarry, then converted to lime, by burning, at another location. The burning of
limestone creates sulfide emissions, a major contributor to acid rain.

Limestone (primarily calcium carbonate) is converted to quicklime (calcium oxide) through

prolonged exposure to high heat. This removes water and carbon from the stone and releases
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The quicklime is then crushed and screened. Before it
can be used in plaster or cement, it must be mixed with water and then dried. The hydrated
lime then becomes an ingredient in concrete, plaster, and mortar.

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9. Plastic:

Fig

The term plastics covers a range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic condensation or

polymerization products that can be moulded or extruded into objects or films or fibers. Their
name is derived from the fact that in their semi-liquid state they are malleable, or have the
property of plasticity.

Plastics vary immensely in heat tolerance, hardness, and resiliency. Combined with this
adaptability, the general uniformity of composition and lightness of plastics ensures their use
in almost all industrial applications today.

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10. Bamboo:

Bamboo as a building material is used for the construction of scaffolding, bridges and
structures, houses.

Fig

Due to a distinctive rhizome-dependent system, bamboos are one of the fastest-growing

plants in the world and their growth is three times faster than most other species of plants.
They are renewable and extremely versatile resource with multi-purpose usage. Among many
uses of bamboo, Housing is one of the major areas applications especially in the wake of
residential shortages around the globe.

Bamboo as a building material is conventionally associated with the region of Southeast Asia and
South America where climate is best suitable for its cultivation. In many of the nations, bamboo is
used to hold up suspension bridges or simply make places of dwelling.

Bamboo is one of the most amazingly versatile and sustainable building materials available.
It grows remarkably fast and in a wide range of climates. It is exceedingly strong for its
weight and can be used both structurally and as a finish material.

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 There is a long vernacular tradition to the use of bamboo in structures in many parts of the
world, especially in more tropical climates, where it grows into larger diameter canes One
tricky aspect to the use of bamboo is in the joinery; since its strength comes from its integral
structure, it cannot be joined with many of the traditional techniques used with wood

Various Structural Shapes of Bamboo as a Building Material:

Bamboos are treated in such a way that they assume desired shapes and structures while they
grow:
1. Squared cross-section can be obtained by compressing the growing stalk of bamboo
within a square section.

2. Arch shapes of bamboo can also be created by compressing the bamboo’s growth into
the desired shape. This would cost lesser than it would to get the same form with normal
timber.

3. Curved and Flat shapes of bamboo are achieved through traditional techniques like
applying heat and pressure.

11.Foam:

Fig

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 Fig

More recently synthetic polystyrene or polyurethane foam has been used on a limited scale. It
is light weight, easily shaped and an excellent insulator. It is usually used as part of a
structural insulated panel where the foam is sandwiched between wood and cement.

12.Glass:

Fig

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Glass making is considered an art form as well as an industrial process or material. Clear
windows have been used since the invention of glass to cover small openings in a building.
They provided humans with the ability to both let light into rooms while at the same time
keeping inclement weather outside.

Glass is generally made from mixtures of sand and silicates, in a very hot fire stove called a
kiln and is very brittle. Very often additives are added to the mixture when making to produce
glass with shades of colors or various characteristics (such as bullet proof glass, or light
emittance).

The use of glass in architectural buildings has become very popular in the modern culture.
Glass “curtain walls” can be used to cover the entire facade of a building, or it can be used to
span over a wide roof structure in a “space frame”. These uses though require some sort of
frame to hold sections of glass together, as glass by its self is too brittle and would require an
overly large kiln to be used to span such large areas by itself.

13.Adobe:

Fig

26
Adobe is one of the oldest building materials in use. It is basically just dirt that has been
moistened with water, sometimes with chopped straw or other fibers added for strength, and
then allowed to dry in the desired shape. Commonly adobe is shaped into uniform blocks that
can be stacked like bricks to form walls, but it can also be simply piled up over time to create
a structure.

The best adobe soil will have between 15% and 30% clay in it to bind the material together,
with the rest being mostly sand or larger aggregate. Too much clay will shrink and crack
excessively; too little will allow fragmentation.

Sometimes adobe is stabilized with a small amount of cement or asphalt emulsion added to
keep it intact where it will be subject to excessive weather. Adobe blocks can be formed
either by pouring it into moulds and allowing it to dry or it can pressed into blocks with a
hydraulic or leverage press.

Adobe can also be used for floors that have resilience and beauty, coloured with a thin slip of
clay and polished with natural oil. Adobe is a good thermal mass material, holding heat and
cool well. It does not insulate very well, so walls made of adobe need some means of
providing insulation to maintain comfort in the building.

14.Fabric:

The tent used to be the home of choice among nomadic groups the world over. Two well
known types include the conical teepee and the circular yurt. It has been revived as a major
construction technique with the development of tensile architecture and synthetic fabrics.
Modern buildings can be made of flexible material such as fabric membranes, and supported
by a system of steel cables.

An alternate building material: Fibre reinforced concretes

The constant development activities in Civil engineering and growing industries have created
a continuous demand for building materials which satisfy all the requirements regarding
short-term and long-term performance of the structure.

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world and steel reinforcement is
always required to meet tensile strength and ductility demands of concrete structures. The
production of concrete and reinforced concrete structures creates lots of environmental issues
associated with the significant release of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. In addition, the

27
corrosion of steel reinforcement is one of the major challenges that current civil engineers are
facing.

The use of natural fibers in making concrete is recommended since several types of these
fibers are available locally and are plentiful. The idea of using such fibers to improve the
strength and durability of brittle materials is not new; for example, straw and horse hair are
used to make bricks and plaster. Natural fibers that are suitable for reinforcing concrete and
are easily available in developing countries like India, we use coconut husk and sugarcane
fiber.

Using Coconut husk and sugarcane fibers in concrete mix, we study the effects of these fibers
on the compressive strength of concrete and check the feasibility of using these natural fibers
on concrete mix.

28
4.1.2. Water

Rain Water Harvesting and Water treatment are two very important aspects of Green
Building. By using these techniques the consumption of water by Urban Water Supply can
be reduced to a great extend and also helps to save water for future generation.

4.1.2.1. Rain water harvesting

Rain water harvesting is one of the most effective methods of water management and water
conservation. It is the term used to indicate the collection and storage of rain water used for
human, animals and plant needs. It involves collection and storage of rain water at surface or
in sub-surface aquifer, before it is lost as surface run off. The augmented resource can be
harvested in the time of need.

Artificial recharge to ground water is a process by which the ground water reservoir is
augmented at a rate exceeding that under natural conditions of replenishment. The collected
water is stored and pumped in a separate pipe distribution. This is a very useful method for a
developing country like India in reducing the cost and the demand of treated water and also
economizing the treatment plants operation, maintenance and distribution costs.

The various methods and techniques are :

1. Methods of ground water technique

A. Urban Areas:

Roof top rain water/storm runoff harvesting through

(i) Recharge Pit
(ii) Recharge Trench
(iii) Tubewell
(iv) Recharge Well

B. Rural Areas:

Rain water harvesting through

(i) Gully Plug
(ii) Contour Bund
(iii) Gabion Structure
(iv) Percolation Tank
(v) Check Dam/Cement Plug/Nala Bund
(vi) Recharge Shaft
(vii) Dugwell Recharge
(viii) Ground Water Dams/Subsurface Dyke

29
A. Urban Areas:

In urban areas, rain water available from roof tops of buildings, paved and unpaved areas

goes waste. This water can be recharged to aquifer and can be utilized gainfully at the time of

need. The rain water harvesting system needs to be designed in a way that it does not occupy

large space for collection and recharge system.

Roof top rain water harvesting can be a very effective tool to fight the problem of water

shortage particularly in urban areas. Roof top rain water harvesting depends upon the amount

of rainfall and the roof top area.

More the amount of rainfall more is the harvested water from roof top. Similarly, larger

amount of roof top rain water is harvested from roofs with large area. Table 16.7 gives the

amount of harvested water from roof top in cubic metres in relation to the amount of rainfall

in millimetres and the roof top area in square metres.

A few techniques of roof top rain water harvesting in urban areas are described as under:

i) Recharging ground water aquifers

Ground water aquifers can be recharged by various kinds of structures to ensure percolation
of rainwater in the ground instead of draining away from the surface. Commonly used
recharging methods are:-

a) Recharging of bore wells

b) Recharging of tube wells.
c) Recharge pits
d) Soak ways or Recharge Shafts

a) Recharging of bore wells

Rainwater collected from rooftop of the building is diverted through drainpipes to settlement
or filtration tank. After settlement filtered water is diverted to bore wells to recharge deep
aquifers. Abandoned bore wells can also be used for recharge.

30
Optimum capacity of settlement tank/filtration tank can be designed on the basis of area of
catchment, intensity of rainfall and recharge rate. While recharging, entry of floating matter
and silt should be restricted because it may clog the recharge structure. First one or two
shower should be flushed out through rain separator to avoid contamination. A schematic
diagram of filtration tank recharging to bore well is indicated in Fig 8.

Fig 8:Filtration tank recharging to bore well

b) Roof top rain water harvesting through existing tube well

a. In areas where the shallow aquifers have dried up and existing tubewells are tapping deeper

aquifer, roof top rain water harvesting through existing tubewell can be adopted to recharge

the deeper aquifers.

b. PVC pipes of 10 cm diameter are connected to roof drains to collect rain water. The first

roof runoff is let off through the bottom of drain pipe. After closing the bottom pipe, the rain

water of subsequent rain showers is taken through a T to an online PVC filter.

The filter may be provided before water enters the tube-well. The filter is 1-1.2 m in length

and is made up of PVC pipe. Its diameter should vary depending on the area of roof, 15 cm if

roof area is less than 150 sq m and 20 cm if the roof area is more.

31
The filter is provided with a reducer of 6.25 cm on both the sides. Filter is divided into three

chambers by PVC screens so that filter material is not mixed up. The first chamber is filled

up with gravel (6-10 mm), middle chamber with pebbles (12-20 mm) and last chamber with

bigger pebbles (20-40 mm).

c. If the roof area is more, a filter pit may be provided. Rain water from roofs is taken to

collection/desilting chambers located on ground. These collection chambers are

interconnected as well as connected to the filter pit through pipes having a slope of 1: 15.

The filter pit may vary in shape and size depending upon available run off and are back-filled

with graded material, boulder at the bottom, gravel in the middle and sand at the top with

varying thickness (0.30-0.50 m) and may be separated by screen.

The pit is divided into two chambers, filter material is one chamber and other chamber is kept

empty on accommodate excess filtered water and to monitor the quality of filtrated water. A

connecting pipe with recharge well is provided at the bottom of the pit for recharging of

filtered water through well.

Fig

c) Roof Top Rainwater Harvesting through Recharge Pit:

i). In alluvial areas where permeable rocks are exposed on the land surface or at very shallow
depth, roof top rain water harvesting can be done through recharge pits.

32
ii). The technique is suitable for buildings having a roof area of 100 sq m and is constructed
for recharging the shallow aquifers.

iii). Recharge Pits may be of any shape and size and are generally constructed 1 to 2 m wide
and 2 to 3 m deep which are back filled with boulders (5-20 cm), gravels (5-10 mm) and
coarse sand (1.5-2 mm) in graded form— Boulders at the bottom, gravels in between the
coarse sand at the top so that the silt content that will come with runoff will be deposited on
FIG. 16.7. Roof top rain water harvesting through recharge pit the top of the coarse sand
layer and can easily be removed. For smaller roof area, pit may be filled with broken
bricks/cobbles.

iv). A mesh should be provided at the roof so that leaves or any other solid waste/debris is
prevented from entering the pit and a desalting/collection chamber may also be provided at
the ground to arrest the flow of finer particles to the recharge pit.

v). The top layer of sand should be cleaned periodically to maintain the recharge rate.

vi). By-pass arrangement is provided before the collection chamber to reject the first showers.

d) Soak way or Recharge shafts:

Soak away or recharge shafts are provided where upper layer of soil is alluvial or less
pervious. These are bored hole of 30 cm dia. up to 10 to 15 m deep, depending on depth
of pervious layer. Bore should be lined with slotted/perforated PVC/MS pipe to prevent
collapse of the vertical sides. At the top of soak away required size sump is constructed to
retain runoff before the filters through soak away. Sump should be filled with filter media. A
schematic diagram of recharge shaft is shown in Fig 10.

Fig 10: Schematic Diagram of Recharge shaft

33
2. Storage of Direct Use
In this method rain water collected from the roof of the building is diverted to a storage tank.
The storage tank has to be designed according to the water requirements, rainfall and
catchment availability. Each drainpipe should have mesh filter at mouth and first flush device
followed by filtration system before connecting to the storage tank. It is advisable that each
tank should have excess water over flow system.

Excess water could be diverted to recharge system. Water from storage tank can be used for
secondary purposes such as washing and gardening etc. This is the most cost effective way of
rainwater harvesting. The main advantage of collecting and using the rainwater during rainy
season is not only to save water from conventional sources, but also to save energy incurred
on transportation and distribution of water at the doorstep. This also conserves groundwater,
if it is being extracted to meet the demand when rains are on. A typical fig of storage tank is
shown.

3. Components of the roof top rainwater harvesting

The illustrative design of the basic components of roof top rainwater harvesting system is
given in the typical schematic diagram shown in Fig .

Fig components of a rain water harvesting system

34
 The system mainly constitutes of following sub components:

 Catchments
 Coarse mesh at the roof to prevent the passage of debris
 Transportation
 First flush
 Filter
 Storage

 Catchments
The surface that receives rainfall directly is the catchment of rainwater harvesting system. It
may be terrace, courtyard, or paved or unpaved open ground. The terrace may be flat
RCC/stone roof or sloping roof. Therefore the catchment is the area, which actually
contributes rainwater to the harvesting system.

 Coarse mesh
At the roof to prevent the passage of debris.

 Transportation

Rainwater from rooftop should be carried through down take water pipes or drains to
storage/harvesting system. Water pipes should be UV resistant (ISI HDPE/PVC pipes) of
required capacity. Water from sloping roofs could be caught through gutters and down take
pipe. At terraces, mouth of the each drain should have wire mesh to restrict floating material.

Table 1:Sizing of rainwater pipe for roof drainage

Diameter
Of pipe Average rate of rainfall in mm/h
(mm)
50 75 100 125 150 200
50 13.4 8.9 6.6 5.3 4.4 3.3
65 24.1 16.0 12.0 9.6 8.0 6.0
75 40.8 27.0 20.4 16.3 13.6 10.2
100 85.4 57.0 42.7 34.2 28.5 21.3
125 - - 80.5 64.3 53.5 40.0
150 - - - - 83.6 62.7

35
 mm/ h - millimeters per hour; m - meters

 First Flush
First flush is a device used to flush off the water received in first shower. The first shower of
rains needs to be flushed-off to avoid contaminating storable/rechargeable water by the
probable contaminants of the atmosphere and the catchment roof. It will also help in cleaning
of silt and other material deposited on roof during dry seasons Provisions of first rain
separator should be made at outlet of each drainpipe.

 Filter
There is always some scepticism regarding Roof Top Rainwater Harvesting since doubts are
raised that rainwater may contaminate groundwater. There is remote possibility of this fear
coming true if proper filter mechanism is not adopted. Secondly all care must be taken to see
that underground sewer drains are not punctured and no leakage is taking place in close
vicinity. Filters are used for treatment of water to effectively remove turbidity, colour and
microorganisms. After first flushing of rainfall, water should pass through filters. A gravel,
sand and ‘netlon’ mesh filter is designed and placed on top of the storage tank. This filter is
very important in keeping the rainwater in the storage tank clean. It removes silt, dust, leaves
and other organic matter from entering the storage tank. The filter media should be cleaned
daily after every rainfall event. Clogged filters prevent rainwater from easily entering the
storage tank and the filter may overflow. The sand or gravel media should be taken out and
washed before it is replaced in the filter.

A typical photograph of filter is shown in Fig.

36
 Fig: Photograph of typical filter

There are different types of filters in practice, but basic function is to purify water. The
different types of filters are :

a)Sand Gravel Filter

These are commonly used filters, constructed by brick masonry and filleted by pebbles,
gravel, and sand as shown in the figure. Each layer should be separated by wire mesh. A
typical figure of Sand Gravel Filter is shown in Fig .

Fig

37
b) Charcoal Filter
Charcoal filter can be made in-situ or in a drum. Pebbles, gravel, sand and charcoal as shown
in the figure should fill the drum or chamber. Each layer should be separated by wire mesh.
Thin layer of charcoal is used to absorb odour if any. A schematic diagram of Charcoal filter
is indicated in Fig 4

Fig

c) PVC –Pipe filter

This filter can be made by PVC pipe of 1 to 1.20 m length; Diameter of pipe depends on the
area of roof. Six inches dia. pipe is enough for a 1500 Sq. Ft. roof and 8 inches dia. pipe
should be used for roofs more than 1500 Sq. Ft. Pipe is divided into three compartments by
wire mesh. Each component should be filled with gravel and sand alternatively as shown in
the figure. A layer of charcoal could also be inserted between two layers. Both ends of filter
should have reduce of required size to connect inlet and outlet. This filter could be placed
horizontally or vertically in the system. A schematic pipe filter is shown in Fig 5.

38
 Fig

Storage Facility

There are various options available for the construction of these tanks with respect to the
shape, size and the material of construction.

Shape: Cylindrical, rectangular and square.

Material of construction: Reinforced cement concrete, (RCC), ferrocement, masonry,

plastic (polyethylene) or metal (galvanised iron) sheets are commonly used.

Position of tank: Depending on space availability these tanks could be constructed above
ground, partly underground or fully underground. Some maintenance measures like cleaning
and disinfection are required to ensure the quality of water stored in the container.

6.5.1 Design of storage tanks

The volume of the storage tank can be determined by the following factors:

 Number of persons in the household: The greater the number of persons, the greater
the storage capacity required to achieve the same efficiency of fewer people under the
same roof area.

 Per capita water requirement: This varies from household to household based on
habits and also from season to season. Consumption rate has an impact on the storage
systems design as well as the duration to which stored rainwater can last.

 Average annual rainfall

39
  Period of water scarcity: Apart from the total rainfall, the pattern of rainfall -whether
evenly distributed through the year or concentrated in certain periods will determine
the storage requirement. The more distributed the pattern, the lesser the size.

 Type and size of the catchment: Type of roofing material determines the selection of
the runoff coefficient for designs. Size could be assessed by measuring the area
covered by the catchment i.e., the length and horizontal width. Larger the catchment,
larger the size of the required cistern (tank).

4.1.2.2. Waste Water Treatment

Introduction:-Sewage treatment is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater,

primarily from household sewage. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to
remove these contaminants and produce environmentally safer treated wastewater (or
treated effluent). A by-product of sewage treatment is usually a semi-solid waste or slurry,
called sewage sludge, that has to undergo further treatment before being suitable for disposal
or land application.

Importance of Waste Water Treatment

The major aim of wastewater treatment is to remove as much of the suspended solids as
possible before the remaining water, called effluent, is discharged back to the environment.
As solid material decays, it uses up oxygen, which is needed by the plants and animals living
in the water.

The building under our study i.e. New Water Resources Headquarters located in Basistha,
Guwahati has not yet implemented waste water treatment facility. So we took example of
waste water treatment from another building i.e. Betkuchi PHE Complex.

Setting up Liquid Waste Management System at Betkuchi PHE Complex :

The liquid waste generated within the complex is disposed off to the campus drain which in
turn reaches the drain outside the complex. It has been proposed to install a system for
treating the liquid waste generated within the complex scientifically so that the treated liquid
waste can be used for gardening purpose. This will not reduce the pollutant load in the
environment, but also will reduce water use from supply system for gardening.

40
This will not only create a healthy environment in the complex, but also will be a model of
liquid waste management for the visitors including trainees coming to the complex. Once this
project is implemented and if documented properly, it may be an example for the state of
Assam of effective liquid waste management by a community.

So, a proposal has been prepared to set up a liquid waste management system at the store &
workshop (PHE) Division Complex, Betkuchi, Guwahati with an estimated amount of Rs
23,50,000.00 (Rupees twenty three lakh fifty thousand) only.

Fig

41
4.1.3.SOLAR ENERGY

Solar energy is the radiant energy produced by the sun. “Solar” is the Latin word for the sun
and it’s a powerful source of energy. It is both light and heat. It ,along with secondary solar
powered resources such as wind and wave power ,account for majority of the renewable
energy on earth.

The earth receives 174 petawatts(PW) of solar radiation at the upper atmosphere.30% of that
is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed by clouds, oceans and land masses. Land
surface ,oceans, and atmosphere absorb solar radiation ,which increases their temperature.
Energy absorbed by the oceans and the land masses keeps the surface at an average
temperature of 14ᵒC.Green plants convert solar energy into chemical energy through
photosynthesis. Our food supply is completely dependent on solar energy. After plants die,
they decay in the earth .So solar energy can be said to provide the biomass that has created
the fossil fuels that we are dependent on.

Human harness solar energy in many different ways :space heating and cooling ,production
of the potable water by distillation, disinfection, lighting,hot water and cooking. Our current
dependence on fossil fuels is slowly being replaced by alternative energies. Some are the
fuels that may eventually become useless but solar energy will never be obsolete , controlled
by foreign powers or run out. Even when the sun uses up its hydrogen, it will produce useable
energy until it explodes.

Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending
on how they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power.

42
 Fig – Solar power

1. Active Solar Systems

Active solar systems are those which collect solar radiation and convert it in the form of heat
to water, air, or some other fluid. The technology which is applied is fairly simple and there
are many possible applications of it for low temperature systems heat uses. The most
common application of these systems is the production of domestic hot water, known to all as
solar water heaters. Besides household use, which is the most common at present, active solar
systems can be used anywhere low temperature heat is needed. Thus, the use of solar energy
for the production of cooling, for air conditioning buildings and other applications, is
emerging as one of its most promising prospects because of the increased solar radiation at
precisely the season when cooling loads are greatest.

Active solar heating uses mechanical and electrical equipment to enhance the conversion of
solar energy to heat and electric power. A solar collector is a device used to absorb solar
energy.

43
 Figure –Active solar

2.Passive solar

Passive solar design refers to the use of the sun’s energy for the heating and cooling of living
spaces by exposure to the sun. When sunlight strikes a building, the building materials can
reflect, transmit, or absorb the solar radiation. In addition, the heat produced by the sun
causes air movement that can be predictable in designed spaces. These basic responses to
solar heat lead to design elements, material choices and placements that can provide heating
and cooling effects in a home.

Unlike active solar heating systems, passive systems are simple and do not involve
substantial use of mechanical and electrical devices, such as pumps, fans, or electrical
controls to move the solar energy.

Five Elements of Passive Solar

The following five elements constitute a complete passive solar home design.

 Aperture (Collector)

The large glass (window) area through which sunlight enters the building. Typically, the
aperture(s) should face within 30 degrees of true south and should not be shaded by other
buildings or trees from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day during the heating season.

44
  Absorber

The hard, darkened surface of the storage element. This surface—which could be that of a
masonry wall, floor, or partition (phase change material), or that of a water container—sits in
the direct path of sunlight. Sunlight hits the surface and is absorbed as heat.

 Thermal mass

The materials that retain or store the heat produced by sunlight. The difference between the
absorber and thermal mass, although they often form the same wall or floor, is that the
absorber is an exposed surface whereas thermal mass is the material below or behind that
surface.

 Distribution

The method by which solar heat circulates from the collection and storage points to different
areas of the house. A strictly passive design will use the three natural heat transfer modes —
conduction, convection, and radiation—exclusively. In some applications, however, fans,
ducts, and blowers may help with the distribution of heat through the house.

 Control

Roof overhangs can be used to shade the aperture area during summer months. Other
elements that control under- and/or overheating include electronic sensing devices, such as a
differential thermostat that signals a fan to turn on; operable vents and dampers that allow or
restrict heat flow; low-emissivity blinds .

Figure - Passive solar

Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy

i) Advantages

1. Clean Energy

45
Fossil fuels, which are at the moment the main source of the world’s energy, release toxic
chemical compounds such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other greenhouse gases
into the atmosphere. This is one of the main causes of climate change. Mining for fossil fuels
cause the destruction of forests and the pollution of our environment. Additionally, there have
been numerous cases of oil pipelines leaking into streams, rivers, seas, and soil over the
years. These pipeline leakages have corroded our soil and led to the poisoning of ground
water affecting the planet’s flora, fauna, marine life, and humans on a large scale.

However, solar power is an alternate source of clean and renewable energy. It neither pollutes
the environment nor destroys forest cover.

2. Renewable

Solar energy which converts the sun’s light and heat into electricity, is renewable and
inexhaustible until the death of our sun, which would take around 5 billion years. Solar
panels are fitted with photo voltaic cells that convert the ever abundant sun’s rays into
electrons, and turn it into electricity.

3. It’s Free

Since the sun does not belong to any government, corporation or person, it has not yet been
taxed. This means that once solar panels are fitted, the energy harnessed is absolutely free.

4. Low Maintenance

Once solar lights are installed, it does not cost much to maintain them. Good quality solar
lights last for decades without the need to service or maintain them.

5. Multiple Uses

Solar Energy is generally associated with lighting up houses, streets, communities, villages,
towns and so on. However, solar energy is not restricted to this. There are multiple other uses
such as heating water at home, keeping houses warm, powering vehicles, powering airplanes,
cooking, powering calculators, watches, clocks and many more.

6. Conserves Wildlife

Fossil fuels destroy our planet’s eco system and forests, leaving tens of thousands of species
of birds, animals and insects homeless. Due to this many of our planet’s species face mass
extinction. There are so many species that have been eradicated from the face of the Earth
while thousands of others are on the verge of extinction. We can take solace in the fact that
this form of renewable energy does not cause any damage to our planet, thus allowing the
world’s ecosystems to thrive.

7.Saves Water

46
Water is an ingredient that is used to generate electricity. There is however, a shortage of
fresh water throughout the world. The use of solar energy does not require the use of water.
Since the energy from the sun is plentiful, solar energy indirectly helps in the conservation of
water.

Though there are seemingly loads of advantages when it comes to generating electricity
through solar energy, there are a few disadvantages as well.

ii) Disadvantages

1. Solar Energy Is Initially Expensive

The cost of setting up a solar power plant is high. This is due to the demand and supply
curve. As the demand for solar energy increases, the cost would also decrease in time.
However, since the energy generated after installation is absolutely free, in the long run, it
works out to be the most inexpensive option for power generation.

2. Sunlight Availability

Though there is no shortage of sunlight on our planet, there are places in where the sun’s rays
barely reach the surface. It is also possible that more than one solar panel may be required to
light up a house depending on the amount of sunlight available. Some parts of the world are
too cloudy, shady or windy to effectively generate solar energy and light, which reduces the
effectiveness of solar energy.

3. Solar Energy Is Not Always Reliable

Solar energy is very dependable. However, not all solar panels work at night. If the solar
panels are not charged enough during the day, the efficiency is reduced. It would then not be
reliable enough to provide a good amount of power to sustain an entire household or village.

4. Installation Requires Space

Installing solar panels at home or in corporate and IT parks requires a good deal of empty
land that is exposed to the sun. Due to this factor, not too many companies or houses have
installed solar panels.

5. Inefficieny

Most solar panels are not 100% efficient. This means that even though a good amount of
electricity is generated using solar energy, about 60% of energy ends up being wasted, while
only 40% is actually utilized. To counter this, one has to conduct proper research and make
sure that the solar panel being used is set up right and manages to harness most of the sun’s
rays in order to produce a good amount of electricity and increase its efficiency.

47
Though solar energy has its disadvantages, it is negligible when compared to energy
produced due to fossil fuels.

Working of Solar Energy

Our sun is a naturally occurring nuclear reactor. It releases tiny packets of energy called
photons, which travel the 93 million miles from the sun to Earth in about eight-and-a-half
minutes. Every hour, enough photons impact our planet to theoretically satisfy global energy
needs for an entire year.Solar technology is improving and costs are dropping rapidly, though,
so our ability to harness the sun’s abundance of energy is on the rise

Photovoltaic Solar Panels

Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are made up of many solar cells. Solar cells are made of
silicon, like semiconductors. They are constructed with a positive layer and a negative layer,
which together create an electric field, just like in a battery. When photons hit a solar cell,
they knock electrons loose from their atoms. If conductors are attached to the positive and
negative sides of a cell, it forms an electrical circuit. When electrons flow through such a
circuit, they generate electricity. Multiple cells make up a solar panel, and multiple panels
(modules) can be wired together to form a solar array. The more panels you can deploy, the
more energy you can expect to generate.

Fig –Photovoltaic solar panels

Basics Of Electricity

48
PV solar panels generate DC (direct current) electricity. With DC electricity, electrons flow in
one direction around a circuit. This example shows a battery powering a light bulb. The
electrons move from the negative side of the battery, through the lamp, and return to the
positive side of the battery.

With AC (alternating current) electricity, electrons are pushed and pulled, periodically
reversing direction, much like the cylinder of a car’s engine. Generators create AC electricity
when a coil of wire is spun next to a magnet. Many different energy sources can “turn the
handle” of this generator, such as gas or diesel fuel, hydroelectricity, nuclear, coal, wind, or
solar.

AC electricity was chosen for the U.S. electrical power grid, primarily because it is less
expensive to transmit over long distances. However, solar panels create DC electricity. How
do we get DC electricity into the AC grid? We use an inverter.

Inverters

A solar inverter takes the DC electricity from the solar array and uses that to create AC
electricity. Inverters are like the brains of the system. Along with inverting DC to AC power,
they also provide ground fault protection and system stats including voltage and current on
AC and DC circuits, energy production, and maximum power point tracking.

Central inverters have dominated the solar industry since the beginning. The introduction of
micro-inverters is one of the biggest technology shifts in the PV industry. Micro-inverters
optimize for each individual solar panel, not for an entire solar system, as central inverts do.
This enables every solar panel to perform at maximum potential

49
 Fig – Systematic diagram of how solar energy works

Net Metering

At night, the grid will provide energy for lights and other appliances as usual, so solar users
are covered in exchange for the excess energy they shared with the grid during the day. A net
meter records the energy sent compared to the energy received from the grid.

Countries That Use The Most Solar Power

Solar energy, the heat and radiant light from the sun, is harnessed with the usage of modern
technology like the photovoltaic, solar architecture, solar heating, artificial photosynthesis
and solar thermal energy. The solar energy is measured with the help of photovoltaic energy
that produces electricity and the solar thermal energy used for heating water. It is measured in
BTU i.e. British Thermal Units and is the amount of energy used for heating the pond of
water from 39° F to 40° F.

Using solar energy has numerous advantages, and that’s why many countries have decided to
use more renewable energy rather than rely on other forms of energy that are running out. Not
only is solar energy much cheaper but it’s not as harmful to the environment since it doesn’t
produce pollution like other forms of power do.

One of the main factors that prompted several countries to convert to using solar power is the
fact that the energy, which comes from the sun, is completely renewable. As a result, there
will never be any fear of a lack of energy throughout the country.

 Germany

Germany is, without a doubt, the leading country for using solar energy. Not only has
Germany installed thousands of solar panels already, but it plans to be using nothing but
renewable energy by 2050. The country has remained the top buyer of solar energy panels for
several years now, and is expected to continue going forward in the same direction during the
upcoming months.

During 2009, Germany installed eight times more megawatts of photovoltaics solar energy
capacity than America did that year.

 Spain

Although Spain hasn’t converted to solar energy to the extent that Germany has, it has been
making an effort to use renewable energy more and more for several years. Spain was once
the world’s leader for solar energy. However, 2009 saw it dip as Germany stepped up and

50
took the top spot. During its economic crisis, there was much less demand for energy, which
delayed the installing of solar energy panels within the country.

Around 10 percent of Spain’s energy comes from solar power, which is five times more than
the average of 2 percent in the rest of the world.

 Italy

Italy is coming up just behind Spain, with 9 percent of its energy being from solar power.
Italy is doing a lot to convert to solar energy, and, every two months, there are more solar
energy panels installed in the country than there in California during a whole year.

Unreliable data makes it difficult to predict exactly how much more solar energy will be used
by Italy in the future. Previously, estimates predicted that Italy would have plenty of solar
panels installed by the end of the year, but the estimates turned out to be inaccurate, and Italy
fell below the high levels anticipated.

 Japan

During 2009, Japan invested $9 billion in an attempt to encourage solar energy within the
country. In the same year, the prime minister announced that 32,000 public schools within
Japan would see the installation of solar power.

Until March 2011, which saw the nuclear power disaster and earthquakes in Japan, the
country had been developing quickly in relation to solar energy, and more than 990
megawatts had been installed than the year before.

 United States Of America

As electricity costs get higher, Americans are showing more interest in solar energy. The
rising amounts of sunshine that the USA sees each year is another factor that has encouraged
the country to consider using more solar energy.

California is the state with the most solar energy, and is the obvious leader in the USA with
60 percent of all solar installations in America.

Plans are in place to install even much more solar power in coming years, despite the
potential expiration of the federal solar tax credit.

 Czech Republic

Fast economic growth in the Czech Republic has been one of the main reasons why solar
energy is becoming dominant in this particular country. With one of the fastest growing
markets in the world, the Czech Republic has been installing solar power at a good pace since
before 2007.

Czech Republic doesn’t have as much solar power as Spain or Italy, of course. However,
countries like Spain and Italy see a lot more sun each year. Additionally, Spain, Italy,
Germany, the U.S., and Japan have much larger populations. The fact that land in the Czech

51
Republic is cheaper than land in Spain has encouraged the growth of solar power
significantly, and even though there is less sunshine, the low cost of buying land has
compromised the lack of sunshine.

Solar Energy In India

Solar power in India is a growing industry. As of 30 April 2017, the country's solar grid had a
cumulative capacity of 12.50 GW. India quadrupled its solar-generation capacity from 2,650
MW on 26 May 2014 to 12,289 MW on 31 March 2017. The country added 3.01 GW of solar
capacity in 2015-2016 and 5.525 GW in 2016-2017, the highest of any year, with the average
current price of solar electricity dropping to 18% below the average price of its coal-fired
counterpart.

In January 2015 the Indian government expanded its solar plans, targeting US$100 billion in
investment and 100 GW of solar capacity (including 40 GW from rooftop solar) by 2022In
addition to its large-scale grid-connected solar PV initiative, India is developing off-grid solar
power for local energy needs. The country has a poor rural electrification rate; in 2015 only
55 percent of all rural households had access to electricity, and 85 percent of rural households
depended on solid fuel for cooking.[10] Solar products have increasingly helped to meet rural
needs; by the end of 2015 just under one million solar lanterns were sold in the country,
reducing the need for kerosene.[10] That year, 118,700 solar home lighting systems were
installed and 46,655 solar street lighting installations were provided under a national
program;[10] just over 1.4 million solar cookers were distributed in India

Challenges and opportunities

Land is scarce in India, and per-capita land availability is low. Dedication of land for the
installation of solar arrays must compete with other needs. The amount of land required for
utility-scale solar power plants is about 1 km2 (250 acres) for every 40–60 MW generated.
One alternative is to use the water-surface area on canals, lakes, reservoirs, farm ponds and
the sea for large solar-power plants. These water bodies can also provide water to clean the
solar panels. Highways and railways may also avoid the cost of land nearer load centres,
minimising transmission-line costs by having solar plants about 10 meters above the roads or
rail tracks. Solar power generated by road areas may also be used for in-motion charging of
electric vehicles, reducing fuel costs. Highways would avoid damage from rain and summer
heat, increasing comfort for commuters.

The architecture best suited to most of India would be a set of rooftop power-generation
systems connected via a local grid. Such an infrastructure, which does not have the economy
of scale of mass, utility-scale solar-panel deployment, needs a lower deployment price to
attract individuals and family-sized households. Photovoltaics are projected to continue their
cost reductions, becoming able to compete with fossil fuels.

Greenpeace recommends that India adopt a policy of developing solar power as a dominant
component of its renewable-energy mix, since its identity as a densely-populated country

52
inthe tropical belt of the subcontinent has an ideal combination of high solar insolation and a
large potential consumer base. In one scenario India could make renewable resources the
backbone of its economy by 2030, curtailing carbon emissions without compromising its
economic-growth potential study suggested that 100 GW of solar power could be generated
through a mix of utility-scale and rooftop solar, with the realizable potential for rooftop solar
between 57 and 76 GW by 2024. During the 2015-16 fiscal year NTPC, with 110 MW solar
power installations, generated 160.8 million kWh at a capacity utilisation of 16.64 per cent
(1,458 kWh per kW)—more than 20 per cent below the claimed norms of the solar-power
industry.

It is considered prudent to encourage solar-plant installations up to a threshold (such as 7,000

MW) by offering incentives. Otherwise, substandard equipment with overrated nameplate
capacity may tarnish the industry. The purchaser, transmission agency and financial
institution should require capacity utilisation and long-term performance guarantees for the
equipment backed by insurance coverage in the event that the original equipment
manufacturer ceases to exist. Alarmed by the low quality of equipment, India issued draft
quality guide lines in May 2017 to be followed by the solar plant equipment suppliers
conforming to Indian standards.

4.1.4. Bio Gas

Introduction

Biogas typically refers to a mixture of different gases produced by the breakdown of organic
matter in the absence of Oxygen. Biogas can be produced from raw materials such as
agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste or food
waste . Biogas is a renewable energy source.

Biogas can be produced by anaerobic digestion with anaerobic organisms which digest
material inside a closed system or fermentation of biodegradable materials.

Biogas is primarily methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2), and may have small amounts
of hydrogen monoxide (CO), moisture and siloxanes. The gases methane, hydrogen and
carbon monoxide (CO) can be combusted or oxidized with oxygen.

53
 Fig

Use of Biogas

The energy released allows biogas to be used as a fuel, it can be used for any heating
purposes such a cooking. It can also be used in gas engine to convert the energy in gas into
electricity and heat. If Biogas is compressed , it can replace compressed natural gas for use in
vehicles, where it can fuel an internal combustion energy or fuel cells an is a much more
effective displacer of carbon dioxide than the normal use in on – site CHP plants.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Biogas

Advantages

1. Provides a non – polluting and renewable source of energy.

2. Efficient way of energy conversion ( saves fuel wood ).
3. Produces enriched organic manure, which can supplement or even replace chemical
fertilizers.
4. Leads to improvement in the environment , sanitation and hygiene .
5. Provides a source for decentralized power generation .
6. Household wastes and bio- wastes can be disposed of usefully and in a healthy
manner.
7. Anaerobic digestion inactivates pathogens and parasites and is quite effective in
reducing the incidence of water borne diseases.
8. The plants lower methane emissions by entrapping the harmful gas and using it as
fuel. Hence it has environmental benefits.

Disadvantages

1. The process is not very attractive economically on a large industrial scale.

2. It is very difficult to enhance the efficiency of biogas systems.
3. Biogas contains some gases as impurities, which are corrosive to the metal parts of
internal combustion energies .
4. Not feasible to locate at all the locations .

54
Biogas System

Biogas Systems makes use of relatively simple, well – known and mature technology. The
main part of a Biogas System is a large tank or Digester. Inside this tank, bacteria convert
organic waste into methane gas through the process of anaerobic digestion. Each day, the
operator of a biogas system fees the digester with household by products such as market
waste, kitchen waste and manure from livestock. The methane gas produced inside biogas
system maybe used for cooking, lighting and other energy needs. Waste that has been fully
digested exits the biogas system in the form of organic fertiliser.

Fig

Biogas in India

In India the estimate for the production of biogas is about 20,757 lakh cubic meters in 2014-
15. This is equivalent to 6.6 crore domestic LPG cylinders. This is equivalent to 5%of the
total LPG consumption in the country today.

Within states , Maharashtra tops the production with 3578 lakh cubic meters, while Andhra
Pradesh comes next with 2165 lakh cubic meters.

55
 Fig

Chapter 5

Methodology
5.1. General

The various experiments used in the analysis of green building are discussed in details below.

5.2. Material

56
Various tests were conducted for both sand and cement. These tests are:

A. For cement

1. Fitness of cement (sieve test)

 Weight accurately 100gm of cement & place it on standard IS sieve microns.

 Break down any air set lumps in the sample with s fingers, but do not rub on the sieve.
 Continuously sieve the sample by holding the sieve in both hands and giving a gentle
wrist motion or mechanical sieve may be used for the purpose.
 Sieving should be continuous for 15 minutes. Weigh the residue left after 15 minutes
sieving. This residue shall not exceed the specified limit.

2. Consistency of cement

 We have to weigh about 400g of cement accurately & place it in enamel through.
 To start with, we have to add about 25% of clean water & mix it by means of a
spatula. Care should be taken that gauging is within 3-5 minutes.
 We have to have to fill the Vicat’s mould resting on non–porous glass plate with the
paste.
 We have to make the surface of the cement paste in level with the top of the mould
with a trowel. The mould should be shaken to expel air.
 We have to place the mould with glass plate under the rod bearing plunger.
 We have to adjust the indicate to indicate to show 0-0 reading when it touches the
surface of the test block.
 We have to prepare the trial paste with varying % of water & test as described above
until the needle penetrates 6mm - 7 mm above the bottom of the mould.
 Express this % of water as a % by weight of the dry cement.

3.Setting time of cement

Take 500 gm of cement sample & gauge it with the water to produce cement paste of
standard consistency (0.85p). Where, p is standard consistency of cement. The paste shall

57
be gauged & filled into the vital mould in special manner within 35 min start the
stopwatch the moment water is added to the cement.
The temperature of water & that of the time of gauging shall be within 27 + 2 c

3.1. Initial setting time (IST)

 Place the test block under the rod bearing the needle lowers the needle gently and
brings it in contact with surface of the test block & quickly release.
 Allow it to penetrate into the test block. Repeat the procedure.
 In the beginning the needle will completely pierce through the test block. But after
sometime when the plate starts loosing its plasticity the needle may penetrate only to a
depth of 33-35 mm from the top.
 The period elapsing b/w the time when is added to the cement & the time at which the
needle penetrate the test block to a depth equal to 33-35 mm from the top (5=0.5 mm
measured from the bottom of the mould) is known as initial setting time.

3.2. Final setting time

 Replace the needle of the vicat’s apparatus by circular attachment.

 The cement shall be considered as finally set when upon lowering the attachment
gently over the surface of the block, the centre needle makes an impression, while the
circular cutting edge of the attachment fails to do so.
 In the words the paste has attained such hardness that the centre needle does not
pierce through the paste more than 0.5 mm.
 The time elapsed since adding water is called Final a setting time.

B. Test performed on sand

1. Sieve analysis of sand

 Weigh accurately 300gm of sand & place it o a standard IS sieve microns.

 Break down any air set lumps in the sample with fingers, but do not rub on the sieve.
 Continuously sieve the sample by holding the sieve in both hands and giving a gentle
wrist motion or mechanical sieve may be used for the purpose.
 Sieving should be continuous for 15 minutes.

58
 Weigh the residue left after 15 minutes sieving. This residue shall not exceed the
specified limit.

C. Test performed on papercreteblock

1. Compressive strength of papercrete blocks after 14 & 28 days.

 Calculate the quantities of cement, fine aggregate, paper & water required for making
the blocks of designed grade. The size of the cube is
 Place the papercrete mix in the rectangular wooden mould & compact it by tampering
rod. After this, level the top surface of mould by removing excess papercrete .
 Put the mould at room temp.( 27 + 2 c) for hours. After the end of this period remove
the papercrete block from the mould & submerge them in water in water for 24 hour
 Determine the corresponding strength of the blocks after 14 days & after 28 days.
 Compare the theoretical & experimental values of compressive strength of papercrete
mix.
 Compare the theoretical & experimental values of compressive strength of papercrete
mix.

2. Water absorption

 Papercrete blocks are oven dired and weight is taken(w1)

 They are emerged in water for 24 hours and weight is taken (W2)
 Water absorption= (w2-w1)/ w1 x 100%

3. Burning test

The block is burnt.

It is checked whether the block is flammable or inflammable.

59
 CHAPTER 6

ANALYSIS AND SOLUTION

6.1. General

Various data and information were collected and test were conducted as well as calculations
were done to get an idea about the return period of the project . The result of the various test
are given in details below .

6.2. Material

6.2.1. Fineness of cement

Table6.1.Fineness of cement.

60
 Sample No Weight of IS sieve size Weight Percentage
cement (p) weight
(gm) retained
sieve
1 100 90 4 4%
2 100 90 3 3%
3 100 90 5 5%

Retained percentage=(Residue/ total weight ) X 100%

= (4.67/100)X 100%
=4.67% < 10%

Therefore,it is suitable for project work.

6.2.2. Standard Consistency Test of Cement

Table 6.2 Standard consistency of cement

SI No Weight of Percentage Quantity of Penetrated

cement of water water added depth in
sample added (ml) mm(above
(gm) the bottom)
1 400 26% 104 35
2 400 29% 116 20
3 400 35% 140 7

Therefore, consistency (P) of cement we used is 35% by weight of cement.

6.2.3. Setting Time of Cement

Table 6.3: Initial and final setting time of cement

Serial No Unpenetrated height Time of penetration

(mm) (minute)
1 0 5
2 0 15
3 0 25
4 1 35
5 3 45
6 6 55
7 40 720

The initial setting found to be 55 minutes and final setting time is 12 hours i.e, 720 minutes.

61
6.2.4. Sieve Analysis of Sand

Table 6.4 : Sieve analysis of sand

Serial No Sieve size Weight of Cumulative Cumulative Fineness

sand weight of percentage Modulus
retained(g) sand of sand
retained(g) retained(g)
1. 4.75mm 17.1 17.1 1.79
2. 2.36mm 80.1 97.2 9.9
3. 1.18mm 156 253.2 25.5
4. 600mm 302.5 555.7 55.65 2.78
5. 300mm 318 873.7 87.7
6. 150mm 101 974.7 97.9
7. PAN 23.5 998.2 -

The type of sand is medium sand.

6.2.5. Compressive Strength

Table 6.6 Compressive strength of the concrete cubes:

Percentage of fibre added by 1.Failure load (kg) 2. Failure load(kg)

weight of cement
5% of coconut fibre 80 85
10% of coconut fibre 75 75
5% of sugarcane fibre 50 58
10% of sugarcane fibre 25 20
Normal M20 cube 30 -

62
6.3. Water

6.3.1.Abstract of cost for setting up of Liquid Waste Management System at store &
workshop (PHE) division, Betkuchi, Guwahati

Sl. No. Description of work Amount(Rs.)

1. Sewer System 5,00,000.00
2. Manholes 1,00,000.00
3. Treatment Plant 1,00,000.00
4. Treated water storage tank 1,50,000.00
5. Pumping to storage system 15,00,000.00
Total= 23,50,000.00

6.3.2.Details of the system:

63
Water used in the residential and office building = 20,000 litres

Considering, 80% return flow as sewage,

Sewage Generated = 16,000 litres

Considering, 10% sewage inflow,

Sewage to be treated = 17,600 litres

The system has been proposed with following components:

 Sewer(NP2 class) for transportation of sewage to treatment plant site.

 Manholes
 Treatment Plant
 Bar Screen
 Equalisation Tank
 Anaerobic Reactor (1st Stage)
 Aerobic Reactor (2nd Stage)
 Treated water storage tank
 Pumping to sprinkler system

6.3.3 Calculating amount of water harvested in a year:

Size of catchment area in the building under our study i.e. New Water Resources
Headquarters located in Basistha, Guwahati is 1402m2

Formula: Rainfall harvest = ( RA * AF * 0.9 )

Where,
RA - Roof Area
AF - Amount of Rainfall= 1698mm
0.9 - Amount of total rainwater expected for harvesting.

Rainfall Harvested = 1402 * 1698 * 0.9

= 2142536.4 litres/year

6.3.4.Calculation of size of catchment area reqd. for an average household:

Implementing a rain water harvesting project in Guwahati for an average household.

64
The average annual rainfall is: 1698 mm in Guwahati.
The average water demand in India is: 135lcpd
The average household size in Assam is: 4.7

Calculating size of a catchment area required for an average household to harvest rain water
for a year:
Formula: Rainfall harvest = ( RA * AF * 0.9 )

Where,
RA - Roof Area
AF - Amount of Rainfall
0.9 - Amount of total rainwater expected for harvesting.

We need,

135*4.7*365=231592.5 litres/year/household
of water to sustain a household for a year

RA= 231592.5/(1698*0.9)
=>RA=151.5m2
=>RA=1630.7ft2
Hence, amount of area required is 1630.7ft2

6.4.5.Design of a storage tank:

Designing a storage tank for the the building under our study i.e. New Water Resources
Headquarters located in Basistha, Guwahati Guwahati, Assam

1. Following details are available:

Area of the catchment (A) = 1402 sq. m. (Calculated at topic 6.4)

Average annual rainfall (R) = 1698mm
Runoff coefficient (C) = 0.9 .
Annual water harvesting required = 2142536.4 litres. (Calculated at topic 6.4)

65
2. Determine the tank capacity:
This is based on the dry period, i.e., the period between the two consecutive rainy seasons.

Table

66
Source: https://en.climate-data.org

Let’s assume the max period between two consecutive rainy days in Guwahati, Assam be 100
days (worst case scenario)&
At an average day no. of people working at the office = 100
With daily water requirement at the office be 10litres/day

3. Calculatewater requirement for the office for the dry season

= 100 x 100 x 10
= 1350000 litres

As a safety factor, the tank should be built 10 per cent larger than required, i.e.,

100000+ 0.1 x 100000

=110000 litres

This tank can meet the basic water requirement of the office for the dry period. A
typical size of a rectangular tank constructed will be about

8.0 m x 8.0 m x 2.0 m = 128m3 (128000 l)

67
6.5.2 Designing a storage tank for an average household in Guwahati, Assam

1. Following details are available:

Area of the catchment (A) = 151.5 sq. m. (Calculated at topic 6.4)

Average annual rainfall (R) = 1698mm
Runoff coefficient (C) = 0.9 .
Annual water harvesting required = 231592.5 litres. (Calculated at
topic 6.4)

2. Determine the tank capacity:

This is based on the dry period, i.e., the period between the two consecutive rainy seasons.
Table

Source: https://en.climate-data.org

Let’s assume the max period between two consecutive rainy days in Guwahati, Assam be 100 days
(worst case scenario)

3. Calculate water requirement for the family for the dry season

68
 = 100 x 4.7 x 135
= 63450 litres

As a safety factor, the tank should be built 10 per cent larger than required, i.e.,

63450+ 0.1 x 63450

=69795 litres

This tank can meet the basic water requirement of average family residing in Guwahati,
Assam for the dry period. A typical size of a rectangular tank constructed will be about

6.0 m x 6.0 m x 2.0 m = 72m3 (72000 l)

6.4.Power

Some assumptions are made for the power calculations of the entire building. Those
assumptions are:

69
 1. Fans have been used from the months of March to October for approximately 8
hours.
2. Fans are provided at an approximate distance of 30 inch.
3. Lights have been assumed to be used for 8 hours.
4. Depending upon the importance of the room lights have been provided.
5. A lift having capacity to carry 10 people have been installed.
6. The lights provided in courtyard , corridor, Terrance below, Green roof below,
Open Terrance Area are considered to be used for 3 hours each.
7. The fans provided in courtyard , Terrence are used for 3 hours.
8. The lights used in stores and restroom are considered to be used for 5 hours.
9. Based on the usage of a particular room various additional plugs are provided
such as laptops, charging point, projector etc.
10. It is assumed that the office is working 24 days a month.
11. The power of an LED is 0.012 kwh(kilo-watt-hour) .
12. The power of a 36 inch blade fan is 0.06 kwh (kilo-watt-hour).
13. The power of laptops, printer , projector freeze, deep freeze, chimney, coffee
machine, microwave and phone charging are 0.5,0.02, 0.25, 0.8, 0.5, 0.25, 0.8,
0.2 and 0.006 kwh respectively.
14. Except freeze and deep freeze the other appliances and electronics gadgets are
assumed too be used for 5 hours .
15. Printer is assumed to be used for 3 hours a day.
16. Freeze and deep freeze are operated 24 hours a day and 30 days a month.
17. Various deductions are done since seminar halls, conferences are not used on all
working days .
18. Two lights are provided in toilets of men and women respectively.

6.4.1. Power calculations for Ground Floor –

Type of Room Dimensions Number of Power consumed(in Total power

(in inch ) kilowatt-month) consumed (in
a month) kw
Fans Lights Plugs Fans Lights Plugs

70
 Lounge Area 12x8 4 10 2 c/p 46.08 23.04 1.44 70.56

Seminar Hall 18x25 15 15 1 l/p+ 172.8 34.56 90 297.36

1 p/t
Administrative 6x8 2 6 5l/p+ 23.04 13.824 301.44 338.304
Block 1 p/n

Canteen Area 24x10 8 10 1f/z + 92.16 23.04 966 1081.2

1d/f +
1c/m

Green Room 18x10 6 12 2c/p 69.12 27.648 1.44 98.208

Area
Electric Room 8x10 3 2 - 34.56 4.608 - 39.168
Reception 8x8 2 3 1l/t 23.04 6.912 60 89.952
Main Lobby 10x8 3 6 2c/p 34.56 13.824 1.44 49.824
Kitchens 8x10 3 2 2c/y+ 34.56 4.608 84 123.168
1m/w
Toilets 6x6 , 6x6 - 2+2=4 - - 9.216 - 9.216
Courtyard 1,2 15x10,18x 5+ 8+4=12 - 64.8 10.368 - 75.168
20 10=
15
4 Corridor 2x(24x8),2x - 5+8=13 - - 11.232 - 11.232
(6x8)
Canteen Lobby 10x10 3 4 2c/p 34.56 9.216 1.44 45.216
Total 2328.576

6.4.2. Power calculations of First Floor –

Type of Room Dimensions Number of Power consumed (in Total power

71
 (in inch) kilowatt-month) consumed (in
a month) kw
Fans Lights Plugs Fans Lights Plugs
Flood 20x10 7 18 5l//t 80.64 16.128 300 396.768
Forecasting
and warning
erosion
prediction
centre
Database 12x6 2 6 5l/t 23.04 13.824 300 336.864
Record Room
GIS and 20x8 5 12 5l/t 57.6 27.648 300 385.248
Remote
Sensing Centre
Digital Library 8x8 2 4 4l/t 23.04 9.216 240 272.256
2 Class Room 10x8 3+3= 4+4=8 4l/p+2 69.12 18.432 300 387.552
6 p/t
2 Stores 4x2 - 1+1=2 2l/t - 2.88 120 122.88
2 Toilets 6x6,6x6 - 2+2=4 - - 9.216 - 9.216
Corridor 2x15,2x8 - 5+5=10 - 8.64 - 8.64
Courtyard 1,2 15x10,18x2 5+10 8+4=12 - 64.8 10.368 - 75.168
0 =15
2 Cabin 4x2,4x2 1 1+1=2 2l/p 11.52 4.608 120 136.128
Total 1733.952

6.4.3. Power calculations for Second Floor –

Type of Room Dimensions Number of Power consumed (in Total power

72
 (in inch) kilowatt-month) consumed (in
Fans Lights Plugs Fans Lights Plugs a month) kw
Two 28x10,12x1 10+4 25+6=3 2l/t+2 161.2 71.424 180 412.704
meeting/Banqu 0 =14 1 p/t 8
et halls
Exhibition 12x15 6 8 1l/t 69.12 18.432 66.84 152.392
Hall with VIP +1p/t
Lounge Area +1c/p
Open Terrance 15x18 9 2 2c/p 103.6 1.728 1.44 106.768
Area 8
Cafeteria Area 18x14 8 6 1c/m+ 92.16 13.824 1056 1161.984
1m/w
+1f/z
+1d/f
2 Toilets 6x6,6x6 - 2+2=4 - - 9.216 - 9.216

Courtyards 1,2 15x10,18x2 5+10 8+4=12 - 64.8 10.368 - 75.168

0 =15
Rest Room 8x10 3 5 1l/t 21.6 7.2 60 88.8
2 Corridor 15x2,15x2 - 5+5=10 - - 8.64 - 8.64
Total 2015.672

6.4.4. Power calculation for Third Floor –

Type of Room Dimensions Number of Power consumed (in Total power

(in inch) kilowatt-month) consumed (in

73
 Fans Lights Plugs Fans Lights Plugs a month) kw
4 Business 12x12 5 6 8l/t 57.6 13.824 480 551.424
Rooms for
B2B/B2G part
of conferences
VIP Lounge 15x10 5 6 2l/t 57.6 13.824 120 191.424
Area
Conference 14x10 5 12 1l/t+1 57.6 27.648 90 175.248
Hall p/t
Conference 6x10 3 8 1l/t+1 34.56 18.432 90 142.992
Hall p/t
Food Court 12x12 5 12 1c/m+ 57.6 27.648 1056 1141.248
1m/w
+1f/z
+1d/f
Open Terrance 18x20 10 4 2c/p 43.2 3.456 1.44 48.096
Area
Waiting Lobby 8x8 2 4 - 23.04 9.216 - 32.256

Courtyard 1,2 15x10,18x2 5+10 8+4=12 - 64.8 10.368 - 75.168

0 =15
2 Toilet 6x6,6x6 - 2+2=4 - - 9.216 - 9.216

Green Roof 25x25 18 12 - 77.76 10.368 - 88.128

Below
2 Corridor 8x6,2x2 - 5+3=8 - - 6.912 - 6.912
Total 2462.112

6.4.5.Power calculations for Fourth Floor –

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Type of Room Dimensions Number of Power consumed (in Total power
(in inch) kilowatt-month) consumed (in
Fans Lights Plugs Fans Lights Plugs a month) kw
CEO Room 10x10 3 8 1l/t 34.56 18.432 60 112.992
EO(NT)and 8x8 1+1= 4 2l/t 23.04 9.216 120 152.256
EO(T) 2
Officers Cabin: 6+4= 12+10= 115.2 50.688 525.888
Technical and 12x14, 10 22 4l/t 360
Non Technical 12x10 2l/t
Finance 10x12 4 8 2l/t 46.08 18.432 120 184.512
Work Station 12x6 2 4 6l/t 23.04 9.216 360 392.254
2 Toilets 6x6,6x6 - 2+2=4 - - 9.216 - 9.216
2 Waiting 8x4, 10x4 1+1= 2+2=4 - 23.04 9.216 - 32.256
Lobby 2
Courtyard 1,2 15x10,18x2 5+10 8+4=12 - 64.8 10.368 - 75.168
0 =15
Terrance 18x20 8 2 - 34.56 1.728 - 36.288
Below
2 Corridors 8x4, 8x2 - 3+3=6 - - 5.184 - 5.184
2 Stores 4x2 - 1+1=2 2l/t - 2.88 120 122.88
Total 1648.894

6.4.6.Power calculations for Fifth Floor –

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Type of Room Dimensions Number of Power consumed (in Total power
(in inch) kilowatt-month) consumed (in
Fans Lights Plugs Fans Lights Plugs a month) kw
FREMAA
Consultants
PMC 16x10 5 12 5l/t 57.6 27.648
ISC 10x20 7 16 3l/t 80.64 36.864 60 145.248
BME 10x16 5 12 3lt 57.6 27.648

Conference 12x10 4 8 1l/t+1 46.08 18.432 90 154.512

Hall for p/t
FREMAA
Toilet 6x6,6x6 - 2+2=4 - - 9.216 - 9.216
Waiting Lobby 8x4 1 2 - 11.52 4.608 - 16.128
Courtyard 1,2 15x10,18x2 5+10 8+4=12 - 64.8 10.368 - 75.168
0 =15
2 Corridor 12x4, 25x4 - 5+14 - - 16.416 - 16.416
=19
Total 416.688

Total power consumed by the entire building in a month= 2328.576 +1733.952+ 2015.672+
2462.112+ 1648.894+ 416.688 = 10605.894 KW

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Total power consumed by the entire building in a year = 10605.894 x 12 = 127270.728 KW

However there are some deductions to be made. These deductions are:

1. Fan – It is assumed that the fan is being used for 8 months a year.

Total power consumed by the fans in the building in a month = 629.28+ 329.76+ 512.64+
473.76+ 364.32+ 318.24 = 2628 KW

Total power consumed by the fans in the building in a year = 2628 x 12 = 31536 KW

Total power consumed by the fans in the building in 4 month = 2628 x 4 = 10512 kw

Therefore, total power consumed by the building in 8 months = ( 31536-10512) =

21024KW

2. Some months have only 18 working days . Let us assume that 3 months have 18
working day .
Total power consumed by the building for 24 working days in a year = 127270.728
KW
Total power consumed by the building for 18 working days for 3 months =
(1746.432+ 1300.464+ 1511.754+ 1846.584+ 1236.6705+ 312.516) x 3 = 23863,2615
KW
Total power consumed by the building for the entire year after deducting the 3 months
with 18 working days = (127270.728- 23863.2615)KW = 103407.4665 KW.

3. Conferences Halls , Seminar Halls and Class Rooms are not used for 24 days a
months. Let us assumed that these are used for 12 days a month.
Total power consumed by the conference hall , seminar hall and class rooms working
for 24 days a month = (154.512+ 551.424+ 175.248+ 142.992+ 412.704+ 297.36+
387.552) KW = 2121.792 KW
Total power consumed by the conference hall, seminar hall and class rooms working
for 12 days a month = (2121.792/24)x12 = 1060.896 kw

 Total power actually consumed by the building for one year

= 127270.723 - (21024+103407.5565+1060.896)
=1778.3655 KW
= 1778365.5 watt
 Total Watt- hour rating of the system
= 1778.3655 x 1000
12 x 24
= 6174.885 Watt/hr

 Actual power output of a PV Panel = Peak power rating x Operating Power

= 40 x 0.75

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 = 30 Watt
 The power used at the end is less ( due to lower combined efficiency of the
system ) = Actual power output of a panel x Combined Efficiency
= 30 x 0.81
= 24.3 Watt
 Energy produced by one 40 WP panel in a day
= Actual Power Output x 8 hours/day ( Peak Equivalent)
= 24.3 x 8
=194.4 Watt/hr
 Number of Solar Panels required to satisfy given estimated daily load :
= ( Total watt- hour rating(daily load)/( Daily energy produced by a panel)
= 6174.880/194.4
= 32
 Inverter size is to be calculated as :
 Total connected load to PV panel system = 355673.1
KW
 Inverters are available with rating of 100, 200, 500 VA
etc
 Therefore the choice of the inverter should be

COST ESTIMATION OF A PV SYSTEM

a) Cost of arrays = Number of PV modules x cost/module

=7 x 1000 (for a 40 top panel@Rs 2500/WP
=Rs 7,00,000
b) Cost of batteries = Number of batteries x cost/module
= 2 x 10,300
=Rs 20,600 (luminous solar 75 Ah.Tubular battery)
c) Cost of inverter = Number of inverters x cost/inverter
= 1 x 1000
= Rs s8000

Total cost of system = Rs(70,00,000+20,000+8000)

=Rs 7,28,600

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