Renewable energy in the construction industry

The development of green energy has given impetus to changes in the construction industry. All this was reflected in more updated power tools and materials. There have been changes in the development of resources that emit carbon dioxide. Indeed, according to statistics, to build a new house, the necessary materials, tools, and work emit about 55 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thereby changing the Earth's climate for the worse. Garbage at construction sites also pollutes the environment, which is of great concern to environmental scientists.

After they studied why construction sites have so much pollution that is released into the atmosphere, the main reason was fossil fuels. It is on construction sites that energy is abundant for the production of fuel. These non-renewable energy sources leave a huge carbon footprint in the construction industry.

Renewable energy reduces CO2 emissions from construction equipment

The vast amount of technology that is used in the construction of buildings in the UAE uses about 6 billion gallons of non-renewable fuel. This in turn leads to the emission of large amounts of greenhouse gases. Because of this, there are significant changes in the atmosphere.

How does technology help renewable energy providers improve productivity?

To solve the problem, many construction companies have taken a course on the use of renewable energy sources in their work.

Renewable energy

Until recently, many companies did not even consider renewable energy sources. But as the environmental and commercial benefits of green technologies are becoming more and more obvious, companies that want to be competitive are starting to pay attention to the use of renewable energy sources. Now renewable energy sources are no longer as inefficient and expensive as they used to be.

Already, renewable energy has become more affordable. And construction companies are also smoothly moving to the use of renewable energy sources. All this happens because power tools, heating, lighting, and air conditioning consume too much energy on construction sites and leads to high costs. Using solar, hydro, and wind energy, construction companies reduce emissions, support green energy, and design buildings in an environmentally friendly way.

Solar energy

Solar energy is an example of the most common source of renewable energy. The construction industry has also found ways to use solar energy to power its equipment. Even though solar energy construction is a fairly new direction, it is already actively developing.

More recently, Volvo introduced renewable energy-powered construction equipment that is ideal for the construction industry. These are loaders and excavators and other vehicles necessary at the construction site. Also, solar lights are much more convenient and economical than their previous fossil fuel alternatives. In addition, they are much cheaper to operate. In this way, companies can reduce costs and emissions while maintaining the visibility they need.

For construction companies, photovoltaic windows should also be considered. These are panels that absorb solar energy and turn it into energy. Photovoltaic windows are translucent. In this way, the building reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to if fossil fuels were used during construction.

Wind energy

The fastest-growing source of energy in the world is wind energy. Even though it's not as flexible as solar, it's still good enough to help construction companies cut costs and reduce emissions. Of course, wind energy construction is not exactly a viable option for every company, but construction crews may well receive energy from wind energy construction companies that are nearby.

This energy source is available for almost all construction sites. It is a fairly efficient source of energy. In addition to supporting the owner of wind farms, you are also funding environmentally friendly practices in your industry.

This use of renewable energy is especially relevant in areas where the electricity grid is not yet connected. In order not to use gas generators, construction teams can enter into contracts with wind farms.

Hydropower

The most widely used renewable energy source in the world is hydroelectric power. About 71% of green energy comes from hydropower. To work on a construction site, construction crews cannot install a temporary hydroelectric power plant, but they can still use it. To do this, as with wind energy, construction companies can get renewable energy from nearby hydroelectric power plants.

This can be a good substitute for using generators, and a hydroelectric power plant can also replace wind energy in places, where there is no wind, or it is not very strong. Most construction projects will reduce emissions and the industry, as a whole, will become more environmentally sustainable. This form of energy brings enormous benefits to the environment: it reduces the risk of flooding, as well as efficient irrigation and a stable water supply.

Hydrogen fuel cells

This renewable energy sector has huge potential in the construction industry. Hydrogen fuel cells are scalable and portable. This is what makes them ideal for mobile construction sites. Even though hydrogen energy is a fairly new phenomenon in the construction industry, it has already made great strides.

Recently, fuel cell systems have been developed for the power supply of construction sites. In this case, the fuel cells are placed in a shipping container. And after that, they can feed whatever they need. These elements can be used to replace gas generators. This significantly reduces emissions into the atmosphere.

The production of construction equipment that runs on hydrogen has also begun to develop. Already in 2023, it is planned to produce fuel cell excavators. If such equipment is used in addition to a fuel cell generator so emissions are eliminated on-site.

Conclusion

Ecologists predict that in 20 years the UAE will have 80% of its energy from renewable sources. Green technologies in the construction industry give impetus to predict a more energy-efficient future.

Such a transition will undoubtedly save the construction industry money and reduce harmful emissions.