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Mirspot Ltd to play key role in low energy building developments
As carbon reduction moves up the agenda, the role of embedded renewable energy systems is becoming increasingly apparent. Localised and building-integrated energy supplies - such as small to medium sized wind turbines and solar thermal heating - will inevitably play a vital role in meeting our future energy needs. This applies equally to the stock of existing and often inefficient buildings as well as the design and specification of new buildings and developments. The assessment of sites for their renewable energy potential is therefore becoming a key requirement for anyone developing, owning and occupying buildings.
Mirspot Ltd is a spin-off company from the Centre for Research in Energy & Environment at Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen. Inverness based Synergie Scotland Ltd acquired a majority shareholding in the company in October 2008, which has helped drive forward the commercial development of the company, whilst still maintaining strong links RGU. The company acquires and models local weather and building data to provide a robust approach to the development of embedded renewables and low carbon solutions. As well as ensuring viable and cost-effective renewable energy systems, the Mirspot approach recognises that local data also provides a powerful opportunity to reduce building energy demand. Once a building is constructed, serviced and occupied, the weather is the most important influence on energy consumption - understanding this influence is therefore the foundation of good energy management. Our model is summarised schematically below.
The use of bespoke ClimateCapture™ software developed at RGU allows us to effectively integrate a number of previously separate energy assessment activities into a single holistic package, including:
• Local weather data capture, analysis, correlation and forecasting;
• Calculation of site and device-specific renewable energy yields;
• Building energy demand profiling;
• Building simulation and energy performance assessment;
By integrating these activities, Mirspot provides a unique one-stop-shop for embedded renewables and building energy conservation, whether it’s for a vacant site, a planned new development or existing buildings - a unique tool to focus investment and ensure compliance with tightening carbon standards and low carbon planning guidance.