Team 1-g Proposed Solution Video-fix.mp4
Winnipeg’s present grid infrastructure is inefficient, insufficient, and unreliable, due to the centralized distribution and power consumption patterns that overburden the systems at peak times, contributing to failures. The current municipal power grid is non-robust due to its reliance on a singular transmission line and the challenges associated with integrating new technology into the current infrastructure. Additionally, there are concerns with 97% of the Province of Manitoba’s energy being hydroelectric, and drought and irregular water flow being affected because of climate change [1] [2]. Therefore, the city has identified a need to triple its power output by 2040, while diversifying its generation, in response to the need to provide power for the rapidly increasing population in a changing world [3].
A possible solution to Winnipeg’s aging electrical infrastructure that could increase the power generation and decentralization required is to construct new green buildings and retrofit existing buildings with the incorporation of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) technology. This will increase energy generation for the city and province [4] [5]. The use of BIPV on any building would eliminate the need for solar farms, which require vast amounts of greenspace and rooftop solar panels limited to the size of the rooftops [6] [7]. BIPVs are confined to the size of the building’s surface area, thus increasing the area to capture the sun’s rays, converting them into energy [6] [7] [8]. These solar panels are integrated into the envelope of the building, such as shingles, facades, windows, and more to suit practically any type of architectural built [6] [7] [8]. This provides power to the building and reduces greenhouse gas emissions due to the reduction of heating and cooling loads [6] [7].
Table 1: Displays practical humility clause.
| Uncertainty | Context | Hypothesis | Testing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funding | • Partial funding from government. | ||
| • Assumed that project will attract investments from city and businesses. | • A successful pilot project will prove project viability. | • Collect data from project. | |
| • Compare funder's response before and after pilot. | |||
| Residential Application | • To achieve production goal of 200% increase, home BIPVs are needed | • Working with16000 government to increase incentives for BIPV homes will increase residential application | • Take survey of community to gauge interest in BIPVs with incentives |
| Construction Companies | • Retrofitting or construction of new buildings needed to implement BIPVs. | • Construction companies will be capable of performing projects | • Reach out to local construction companies to see if they have worked on similar projects |
| Labour Costs | • Solution does not include labour costs for implementation. | • Cost of labour will be insignificant when considering large investment required for project. | • Determine labour percent of total cost when performing pilot project. |
Proposed Solution Portfolio.pdf
Winnipeg’s power grid is nearly completely renewably sourced, at 97% hydroelectric, but its generation and distribution layout are vulnerable to depletion and failure, and it cannot be upscaled indefinitely [1]. To support and sustain the desired 3 times increase in power generation by the 2040s, the existing grid must be made more reliable and robust for Winnipeg’s climate context [3]. There are multiple facets to addressing power grid climate resiliency and overall robustness, including demand-side management, smart grids, energy storage, and distributed generation (see Appendix A for more detail) [9]. Each facet, when implemented simultaneously, further improves the grid strength, and provides the means to effectively increase power generation to meet the growing demands of the population. Several solutions were explored broadly across these areas from which the final solution was selected (see Appendix B). The final solution selected falls most closely under distributed generation.
Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), in Winnipeg, offers a multifaceted solution to several pressing environmental and energy challenges [8] [10]. They serve a dual purpose for buildings, acting as both an integral part of the structure and a renewable energy generator [8] [10]. BIPV integrates seamlessly into the building’s skin, converting solar energy into electricity while fulfilling essential envelope functions such as [8]: