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Most new constructions are not compliant with the current energy codes in India, and curriculum in colleges offering building sector courses does not prepare the students for high performance or climate resilient buildings. In a recent interaction with BW Businessworld, Prasad Vaidya, Director, Solar Decathlon India (SDI), shares insights on the potential of the Real Estate Industry in tackling climate change and how SDI is pushing student teams to learn and innovate net-zero building solutions for real world projects. Excerpts:
How does the real estate industry hold the key to saving the planet?
Human activities are largely responsible for the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years. And buildings are responsible for about 37 per cent of the energy-related emissions. The day-to-day operations of buildings require energy for lighting, heating and air-conditioning, and the emissions from this are called ‘operational carbon,’ which makes up 28 per cent, while the production of building materials, called ‘embodied carbon’, makes up another 8-9 per cent.
By working on our buildings to reduce operational and embodied carbon emissions, we can significantly contribute to the future. When designed and built properly, new buildings can be made so efficient that they can be net-zero in the operating energy emissions. In some cases, they can be net producers of clean, renewable energy. This holds the key to 28 per cent of the emissions. And, it is possible to reduce the embodied emissions by half if we use the right materials.
So, buildings do hold the key to saving our planet. The question is, who is going to unlock this opportunity? Commercial establishments like offices, and malls, are built and held as investments by the real estate industry. Real estate developers invest in designing and constructing most multi-family housing in India. So yes, the real estate industry has a vital role in tackling climate change and saving the planet.
What’s the potential of the real estate industry, in your assessment in helping India meet its net-zero goals?
As per India’s Panchamrit goals, stated at COP26 in November 2021, the country aims to be net-zero by 2070. The total built up area in India is expected to grow by almost four times between 2015 (15.8 billion metre sqaure) to 2050 (57.6 billion metre square). This means that almost 70 per cent of the floor area that India will have in 2050 is going to be built as new in the next 28 years. This presents a huge opportunity to make 70 per cent of our buildings net-zero in terms of operational energy, and do it with low embodied carbon technologies. Very few countries in the world have this kind of an opportunity, because most of them have to deal with a huge existing building stock that is really challenging to retrofit and make efficient.
We have now started to feel the impacts of climate change, as a threat to our health, directly as heat stress on our bodies, and indirectly as it damages crops, and causes storms, floods and wildfires. Buildings are our first defence as we learn to adapt to these changes. Resilient buildings that provide passive cooling can protect us better from heat waves, buildings designed to withstand storms and floods can provide better shelter, and net-zero buildings that produce and store their own energy can enable critical operations when the electric grid is down.
How do we ensure that profit and Planet are not at odds for India’s real estate industry or aspiring public?
For most people, a home is possibly the biggest investment we make in our lives. For most businesses, rents and real estate outgoings are likely the biggest expenses after salaries. So, resilient buildings adapted to climate change threats protect our investments and businesses today. This is a no-brainer. From now on, what we do to protect the planet will also protect our profits. And those who build their business models around helping the planet will be buoyed by this rising tide. This is where the planet and profit align.
There’s a myth that high-performing buildings cost more. In many cases high performing buildings designed and built with smart “right-sizing” approaches cost no more than a typical building. Infosys has shown this on a large scale. They built new buildings that reduced energy consumption by over 60 per cent between 2008 to 2018, without paying more for the cost of construction. They could do this because as Infosys improved the quality of their buildings to improve energy performance, those buildings needed 50 per cent less air conditioning and electrical infrastructure to be installed.
Such investments, when evaluated for lifecycle-cost that considers the total cost of ownership of the asset over its life, can make a clear monetary case. This is why it makes sense for the general public to buy homes that are energy efficient and cost less to run. Savings in electricity consumption at home translate to reduced carbon emissions at the power plant where the electricity is generated.
Is it possible to make affordable housing sustainable?
Yes, it’s possible. Smart Ghar in Rajkot, Gujarat is a good example where practical and proven strategies were used to make affordable housing sustainable.
The Global Housing Technology Challenge by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will identify a mainstream basket of innovative technologies from across the globe for the housing construction sector that are sustainable, eco-friendly and disaster-resilient.
For most people it’s not that difficult to bring sustainability into your home without spending much. Avoid East-West facing windows and balconies, avoid large windows (less than 30 per cent of the wall), use plenty of shading and you reduce your AC load and save energy. Use aerators on your taps and faucets, low-flow showerheads, and water-efficient dual flush toilets. Install rooftop solar PV and generate your own clean energy. So, there are plenty of affordable technologies and approaches, and in fact most of them will put money back into your pocket.
How does education fit into the narrative of the real estate industry helping India meet its net-zero goals?
Despite the presence of energy codes, green building rating systems, and related training programs, the building and real estate sector in India largely operates in a business-as-usual mode. Most new constructions are not compliant with the current energy codes in India, and curriculum in colleges offering building sector courses does not prepare the students for high performance or climate resilient buildings. Capacity building of young professionals is crucial for India. Equipping them with the knowledge and skills for designing and operating net zero buildings during their early education will influence the buildings they will work on over their careers spanning at least three decades.
This is why we launched Solar Decathlon India (SDI), a challenge for student teams to learn and innovate net-zero building solutions for real world projects. Building owners and real estate developers partner with these students. The students get access to online learning materials, mentorship from experts, and free access to professional grade simulation testing tools that remove geographical barriers and make the education inclusive. Our innovative pedagogic style where the gamification in the challenge motivates students to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams, and the real project experience and implementation help them assimilate the learning. This aligns well with the National Education Policy of 2020 that stresses multidisciplinary education, equity, inclusion, open distance learning, professional subjects, soft skills, environmental education, and greater employment opportunities.
In fact, the real estate sector also has a role to play in this format of education. They can bring their real, live, projects to the teams, evaluate the solutions that the students come up with, mentor them through this process, and recruit the most motivated students into their firms.
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