Scottish Parliament
Design and management services
Grontmij was engaged by AES Ltd, a leading solar system manufacturer, to provide design and project management services for a 37m2 solar water heating system for the new Scottish Parliament Building.
Grontmij provided the full design and project management services for the system. The building required a fully functional system that could supply some 1000 litres of domestic hot water storage, but would also be unaffected by periods of inoccupancy.
Conforming with aesthetic requirements
The project also included the design of the collector array fixing to the roof of the building. This had to conform to the demanding aesthetic requirements of the project architects, allowing the system to sit comfortably in this modern, conceptual building.
To combat the problems of freezing, overheating and occupancy, Grontmij designed and specified a drain-back system, removing the problem of primary fluid remaining in the collectors and being subject to extremes of climate. In order to minimise pumping energy, the system was designed with a high-level drain back tank to reduce fluid lift height, and controlled by a high performance, specialised solar control unit, with integration to the BEMS.
Estimated reduction of 8,600kg carbon dioxide per annum
The solar side of the hot water system stores water at up to 80oC, to maximise solar input. This is mixed to lower temperatures prior to distribution. Modelling has anticipated that the system should offset some 20,000kWh of electricity per year for domestic hot water generation and reduce the building’s CO2 emissions by around 8,600kg per annum.