Green technology in warehouse management: how, why and what for?

Over the past three years, 29 projects with a total area of over 500,000 sq.m, certified by LEED, BREEAM and DGNB international environmental standards, have appeared on the Russian real estate market. In addition, it is planned that by 2015 the volume of certified commercial space will exceed 1 500 500 sq.m. More than 35% of this commercial space are industrial properties. To date, 5 industrial sites in Russia with a total area of 235,000 square meters have been certified according to green standards. The volume of industrial areas planned for certification by 2015 will be 800 000 square meters.

This article provides an overview of the main reasons to run a green warehouse, and gives readers some practical tips on how to "green" the operation of their own warehouse.

Why energy efficiency?

Green technology in the construction and operation of warehouse real estate has long been an established trend in the Western market, and many major warehouse developers claim to apply environmental certification to all their facilities under construction. An example of such a developer is ProLogis, which announced in 2008 that all new warehouse facilities will be LEED-certified.

The reason for this move is that many international tenants are looking to "green up" their operations throughout the supply chain, including leasing "green" warehouse space.

What is a green warehouse?

The energy consumption of industrial buildings varies significantly depending on the type of technology used by tenants. For example, cold warehouses are characterized by high energy consumption in contrast to those warehouses that do not have strict temperature requirements. In addition, the presence of small production functions or commercial areas can also increase the energy consumption of the warehouse. For example, manufacturing consumes additional energy, yet it also provides additional heat gains, which can reduce the building's heat demand. Commercial areas are characterized by excessive lighting and temperature requirements.

As a rule, water consumption is an insignificant share of costs for warehouses per square meter of rented space compared to office and retail premises, however, the administrative and amenities part of upscale warehouses includes showers, which can increase water consumption in the building. Water consumption for irrigation of the territory is usually minimal due to the unpretentiousness of the landscape design of the warehouse complexes. In addition, for large warehouse complexes, local treatment facilities for storm water drainage are often provided, which provides additional opportunities for reuse of rainwater, provided there is a reservoir for its storage.

he collection of waste can be a significant part of the operating costs, which provides ample opportunity for separate collection of recyclables in this sector. There is a very frequent tendency for international tenants to organize their own separate waste collection and disposal on their premises. Waste generated in warehouses and logistics complexes typically includes packaging material and pallets, cardboard and wood.

What energy efficiency measures can be applied during the operation of the warehouse?

In order to understand how to maximize a warehouse's energy efficiency potential, it is first necessary to audit and evaluate current technologies used in lighting, building envelopes and HVAC, as well as warehouse operations.

Depending on the mode of operation, lighting systems can account for 50-60% of the total energy costs of this type of property. There are two questions to consider when examining a lighting system: what are the lighting needs of a given warehouse, and which specific locations should achieve the highest lighting levels. For example, automated warehouses where a minimum number of operations are handled by employees have low lighting requirements. Also, for any warehouse, the lighting requirements for the office area and the storage area will differ significantly.
An important issue for managers concerned about energy efficiency in the warehouse is the choice between xenon lamps (High Intensity Discharge) or high-bay fluorescent lamps. Although the latter types of lamps can be quite expensive, they quickly pay for themselves. Fluorescent light fixtures do not require any extra time to turn on, compared to the warm-up time of xenon bulbs. This period of time it takes for HID bulbs to warm up is often the main reason for abandoning this kind of technology.

Compared to xenon and methalogen lamps, the light output of fluorescent lamps is much lower and historically their lifespan has always been shorter. Nevertheless, fluorescent technology has advanced considerably in recent years, resulting in significant improvements in lamp performance.
The most expensive and questionable technology right now is LED lighting, because despite the energy-saving and lifetime benefits, the technology is still the most expensive and uncomfortable in terms of operation (high uneven light distribution, too bright light source).
Light control technologies such as dimmers and motion/presence sensors can improve energy efficiency for all types of systems. These systems, which have evolved rapidly in recent years, present a variety of solutions, from centralized presence-based control of light intensity to local control that does not require complex and costly programming.
For systems based on fluorescent lighting, a combination of dimmers and motion sensors can significantly reduce energy consumption and increase lamp life.
It is important to remember that the easiest and cheapest way to increase the energy efficiency of lighting systems is through regular cleaning and timely lamp replacement.
For certain types of storage facilities can increase the proportion of natural light by painting the walls in white, installing windows and skylights It is important to remember that the simple installation of natural lighting - windows or skylights - the effect will be minimal if you do not simultaneously review the artificial lighting control strategy and not separately identify lighting devices in the vicinity of the light openings.

The next most effective source of energy efficiency improvement is improved roofing properties. Depending on the warehouse technology and climate zone characteristics, so-called "cold" roofs can reduce energy costs and improve system efficiency. Cold roof technology has two fundamental qualities: a high reflectivity (means that the roof is able to attract less solar energy), as well as a high coefficient of thermal radiation (means that most of the thermal energy that came to the surface will be reflected back into the atmosphere).
Regardless of geographic location, cold roof technologies will be particularly useful for cold warehouses, where they can increase the energy efficiency of such buildings by 5-10% due to the large amount of roof area. In addition, since cold storage units are one of the largest loads on the grid, cold roofing can reduce peak loads on the grid.

Dry warehouses generally do not need air conditioning, yet these warehouses also require a stable temperature regime. In a building without air conditioning, cold roofs can help create a more comfortable environment for employees. While a cold roof has a positive effect in the summer, it can have a negative impact on the energy balance in the winter. In winter, it makes sense to draw in as much heat as possible. Therefore, when considering cold roof technologies, you should consider the energy consumption patterns for each particular region.


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