Tag: On Demand

Material selection is just one of the ways we can accelerate the built environment’s contribution to net zero and is a critical factor when imagining the buildings of tomorrow.

This series will put the spotlight on different materials which are shaping the future of design and construction, exploring their use, benefits and limitations and environmental impact across their full life cycle.

As we move towards net zero together, it is imperative for asset owners, architects, quantity surveying professionals, contractors, and manufacturers to focus on ways to reduce embodied carbon whilst maintaining carbon budgets.

Climate change, health and wellbeing, natural resource depletion, consumer preferences, investor demand – these are key issues that are impacting how we operate and upgrade existing buildings in our towns and cities. A key challenge across all of them is how we move away from traditional solutions to deliver more sustainable and higher performing buildings. 
 
If we are to significantly reduce operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the built environment and meet net zero carbon goals, it is crucial that existing buildings undergo a transition to be fossil fuel free, primarily by eliminating the use of natural gas.
 
Electrifying existing buildings now will ensure they are future proofed for a decarbonised world. Watch this webinar as we celebrate the release of our Practical guide to electrification for existing buildings which outlines the steps involved in electrifying an existing building or portfolio and the types of technologies that can be used today to replace natural gas systems with electric solutions.
 
If you are a building owner, developer, facilities manager, consultant or buildings professional this guide is for you.
 
The webinar will include:
  • An overview of the guide,
  • Understanding the case for electrification,
  • Seven key issues to consider when electrifying,
  • Common myths and barriers,
  • Panel discussion with our technical partner on the value of the guide and impact for industry. 

With Australia’s transition to clean power and to meet the target of net-zero emissions, immediate action to reduce energy use and move to renewable sources is required. The transition will not only change how our industry operates but also the way we live and drive.  

It is more vital than ever to stay up to date on what is happening in the current energy storage market.  Batteries and other operational storage options are available, but how are they being applied? How can smart software for batteries and solar help to improve energy management and reduce electricity requirements? 

Join our experts to examine what solar and battery storage means for the property sector and the opportunities and risks we need to understand.  We discuss: 

  • Energy efficiency retrofits  and both the opportunities and challenges 
  • What’s new in VPP Distributed energy management technology platforms
  • Innovative technology and how it is helping to consistently access clean energy
  • Integration of solar power into an EV what this means for grid integration for large numbers of vehicles
  • Overcoming large-scale storage projects’ technical challenges 
  • Learnings from ARENA storage projects

Join our experts:

  • Andrew Mears, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder, SwitchDin
  • Ray Darrough, Project Manager- Real Utilities, Frasers Property
  • Kelly Davies, Partner, K&L Gates N.J.
  • Ekins-Daukes, Assistant Professor, The University of New South Wales, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering Dan Sturrock, Director Business Development & Transactions, ARENA
  • Moderated by Jeff Oatman, Head of Collaboration and Membership, Green Building Council of Australia

Urban development sets the scene for carbon impacts for generations. Early decisions impact long-term transport, buildings, water, and waste infrastructure emissions.  

Precinct developments create exciting opportunities for carbon reductions by linking together planning, urban design, buildings, transport, and infrastructure. These are often championed but rarely delivered. We need a national approach to driving the decarbonisation of our precincts- one in which all relevant players can contribute.

GBCA is excited to launch our discussion paper, “A Climate Positive Roadmap for Precincts’’. It proposes a set of principles for climate positive precincts and ambitious targets for new and existing precincts to achieve decarbonisation by. It also spells out the 5 key actions needed to facilitate changes in the way we plan, design, and deliver our precincts -and importantly identifies the various stakeholders that can play a role in delivering those changes.

This first release is a discussion paper built out of significant industry consultation. We aim to seek your input over the coming months and use it to produce a first version of the Roadmap by March 2022. Whether you are a developer, investor, planner, precinct operator, materials supplier, or policymaker, this future roadmap will help you lead in the delivery of a more decarbonised built environment.  

The roadmap will set the trajectory and actions that need to happen to decarbonise precincts. It will: 

  • Set out the principles and outcomes to delivering climate positive precincts.
  • Define the key actions that will facilitate a scaling up of climate positive precincts.
  • Detail the stakeholders and the actions needed to make this roadmap a success.
  • Set a pathway for carbon reduction expectations within the Green Star Communities rating tool.

Join us for a real projects-based discussion on the importance of tackling the upfront carbon in construction. Experts from four different parts of the industry will shed a light on the challenges and opportunities they face and how can we all collaborate together to reduce upfront carbon in construction.

We will explore projects that have significantly reduced their upfront carbon, as well as best practices for industry on what to look out for when purchasing materials, and how to ensure that we are doing our best to drive the demand for low carbon materials.

GBCA is excited to be hosting the launch of the report, ‘Embodied Carbon & Embodied Energy in Australia’s Buildings’, developed in collaboration with thinkstep-ANZ.

In addition to operational emissions, embodied carbon (emissions associated with manufacturing of materials and construction processes throughout the whole life-cycle of a building) will play an important role in the sector’s efforts to meet Australia’s commitment under the Paris Agreement.

Unlike operational energy and emissions, embodied emissions and energy occur upstream of the building itself and are largely invisible to builders and architects. Through this work, we have undertaken to present an evidence base for the projected embodied energy and emissions from Australia’s buildings from now until 2050.

Join us to attend this free webinar which will highlight key findings and implications from our work and our collective efforts to achieve a net zero built environment in the coming decades.

There has been huge growth in corporate Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs) in the last three years, leading to over $2.4 billion in investment in wind and solar. But what makes a good PPA and how can they be used to not only meet consumption but make greater environmental impact? How can corporate PPAs be used as a powerful tool, creating impact beyond renewable energy procurement and providing opportunities with enduring benefits. 

Join us as our speakers explore leading examples of PPAs and the lessons learnt, and what might be on the horizon for the Australia market. 

Key themes:

  • the why and how of PPAs
  • how PPA market has changed in the last couple of years
  • lessons from recent PPAs drivers and PPAs as part of wider strategic decisions, not just cutting energy costs
  • how to get engagement within your organisation

With the Australian Government putting millions of dollars towards adoption of electric vehicles there is no doubt that the complete take-up of emissions-free vehicles across our communities is only a few years away.  

View this online session to examine the current state of the industry and its future. We examine how the influx of EV will impact the built environment, how the industry can prepare and what is already being done.

This session covers:

  • Findings from the ACT 
  • EV trial  for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) experimentation
  • Ways of upgrading workplace power supply to allow for on-site fast charging
  • Improving access to charging refuelling sites
  • Future proofing properties for charges to be added as needed
  • Current policies and regulations
  • Retrofitting in practice, and how to manage the power source at peak times

This is a unique opportunity to learn about the current state of electric vehicles and charging solutions in Australia, as well to learn about the results from the retrofitting trials on a large scale.

What is the state of play for storage and solar in the current market? Batteries and other operational storage options are available, but how are they being applied? What are the results and the financial implications?  

Join our experts to examine what solar and storage means for the property sector and the opportunities and risks we need to understand.  

We discuss: 

  • outlook for battery systems and solar panels in the current market
  • storage options that exist and their commercial viability
  • interaction with the grid, virtual power plants and embedded networks
  • the role of storage to achieve 100% renewable energy regulation changes
  • emerging technologies EV Chargers and V2G (vehicle to grid) 

Speakers: 

  • Chris Martell, Director of Operations and Engineering, Global Sustainable Energy Solutions (GSES) 
  • Will Furness, Analyst | Business Development & Transactions, Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
  • Igor Sekatski, National Manager – Renewable Projects,Vicinity Centres