Month: January 2019

In Mexico 6 million of families with income less than 5 minimum wages are a potential market; The shortage of homes for low-income people represents a niche business.

The deficit of up to six million houses for the population of the so-called Pyramid base – made up of households with lower income than five minimum wages – has aroused the interest of housing developers who are betting on self-construction as Business model, they assured specialists.

The total deficit of Mexican households amounts to nine million families, of which three million can be served by government institutions such as the Institute of the National Housing Fund for Workers (INFONAVIT) or the Housing Fund of Institute of Security and Social services of state workers (Fovissste), while for the remaining six million have begun to create alternatives.

65% of the homes built in Mexico are the product of the work of the residents themselves, according to studies of organisms released this week in the country. According to private consultancy Softec, of the million units built in the country a year, only 350,000 correspond to construction works.

According to the consultancy, this fact makes that most of the residential constructions in Mexico do not comply with legal, territorial and technical requirements. Which opens up a series of legal and security risks for its residents.

To heal this problem, social organizations such as Habitat for Humanity provide advice to what is called in Mexico self-construction of homes, so as to reduce the dangers by a poorly built structure.

The self-construction averages at 62 square meters of built area, while construction firms specializing in housing produce units with an average of 39 square meters.

The manufacturer of cement Holcim says that the total of 33 million tons of cement sold per year in Mexico, between 10 and 11 million are destined to the construction works.

PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS
Stone materials:
The most common are limestones, marble, granite, slate and aggregates. It is true that the properties of the stone construction materials can be several, however they share some common as the impermeability in most cases, varied coloration and a great hardness. In the case of the arids their characteristics make them special to support the construction.
Ceramics and glass:
Tiles, tiles, bricks, earthenware or tiles are the main ceramics that are used in construction. It is true that the prices of construction materials of this type can be decisive, however we also have to attend to features such as hardness, corrosion resistance, transparency, compression and bending, all especially Present in ceramics and glass, which makes them suitable for outdoor materials.
Metallic materials:
Aluminums, steels and irons. These materials are not only used as auxiliaries during the construction, as in the case of scaffoldings, many parts of the construction are installed with irons as the slab that serves as a base. Its hardness and general resistance allows the metal to be used as part of the structure.
Composed materials:
Mortars, Concretes, tars and aggregates are the main components of the composite group. The forging capacity makes them work as binders, and can be used for the manufacture of beams, pillars or coatings. These materials are fire resistant, waterproof in most cases and elastic, which not only provides hardness but also resistance to different agents that are often harmful to other materials.
Binder Materials:
These are plasters and cements in general, materials used for constructions around the world as they are able to unite and fix other materials. They forge very fast and harden when mixed with the water, in addition its finish is perfect for any type of construction.

These are the main properties of the most used building materials, the reason why they are used both indoor and outdoor throughout the world. The choice of building materials depends essentially on their suitability, local availability and the amount of money they are willing to invest.

1. Energy storage.
Energy storage plays an important role in the balance between supply and demand for energy, and is key to addressing the intermittent problems of renewable energies. Matching a storage system with a renewable energy source ensures a smooth and steady supply of power, even when weather conditions are not optimal for power generation.

The batteries are the most common storage devices used in renewable energy systems and their use is increasing both on the residential scale and the entire network. Energy storage technologies are expected to continue to improve, making their use more viable and affordable.

It is projected that storage will represent a central component of all new energy technologies moving into the future, as utility-scale energy storage solutions become more competitive in At prices, eroding the advantages of traditional energy sources.

On the Caribbean island of Barbados, old electric car batteries are being reused to provide network energy storage and extend their useful life.
2. Micropanels and Artificial intelligence
Micro panels are local energy panels or grids that can operate independently or while connected to a larger traditional panel. They provide energy independence, efficiency and protection during emergencies. The use of automatic artificial intelligence (AI) learning capabilities with Micro panel controllers allows for continuous adaptation and improvement of the operation.

From California to the Pacific Islands, Micro nets are taking center stage. Palau is an insular nation of the Pacific and the thirteenth smallest country in the world, but is committed to building what would be the world’s largest microgrid-35mw of solar panels paired with 45 megawatt-hours of energy storage. This effort is part of the transition nation’s goal to 70 percent renewable energy for 2050, recognizing that the islands are at the forefront of experiencing the effects of climate change and stand out as Earth Zero for energy transition Global.
3. Energía Blockchain e IoT (Internet of Things) 
Originally developed to register Criptomonedas transactions, blockchain technology is being adapted for use in the energy market.

Blockchain is an incorruptible digital accounting book that carries out and registers transactions through a peer-to-peer network. The lack of centralization in blockchain leaves it as ideal to eliminate the intermediaries of the suppliers of electricity. It reduces energy inequality and inefficiency and empowers consumers to buy and sell energy from other consumers directly.

Linking Blockchain’s distributed accounting technology with the everyday devices we use to receive and transmit information, now commonly referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT), means having a profound impact on systems Energy. With the right applications, devices can buy and sell energy autonomously at optimal times, optimize power-system configuration in a real-time context, and monitor and analyze the performance of devices that consume energy.

These technologies are beginning to be used for innovative projects, such as the Brooklyn microgrid. The project involves a community-driven microgrid whose owners buy and sell energy to each other through blockchain technology. The success of projects like this ensures that they will be implemented on a broader scale
4. Panel parity and drop costs 
Grid parity occurs when an alternative energy can generate energy at a cost and performance level equal to or less than the electricity generated from conventional methods. Solar and wind power have reached parity in both price and performance in many regions, and new technologies continue to hone their competitive edge.

The traditional model of large, downstream and centrally distributed energy production is being replaced by modular, consumer-driven and evenly distributed power generation. Once it was thought to be difficult to integrate into the network, renewable energies are now serving to strengthen the reliability and resilience of the network. The use of blockchain, IA and other automation technologies make renewable energies self-optimizing and increasing their efficiency.

Solar and wind energy are already more efficient and profitable than conventional sources, and evolving technologies will continue to improve their price and performance. By combining the economic benefits with a low environmental impact, we can expect renewable energies to move from being an acceptable energy source to a preferred one.
5. Large commitments of Social responsibility 
An increasing number of corporations, cities and countries are adopting emission reduction targets and climate action plans to meet the goal of limiting the temperature rise World.

To date, more than 100 cities around the World report that at least 70 percent of their energy production is renewable, and more than 40 are currently operating at 100 percent of renewable electricity. Hundreds more have pledged to work towards the goal of energy generation which is 100 percent based on renewable energies. Recognizing its impact on climate change, 158 companies have also committed to the transition to 100 percent of renewable energies.

Many of these corporations and municipalities were inspired to make these commitments after the Paris Agreement 2015. With the new information provided by the IPCC report 2018, we can expect to see an increase in bold commitments to change fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
6. Advances in access to energy in developing countries
By talking about new exciting innovations in energy technology, it can be easy to forget that a significant percentage of the world’s population remains without access to energy at all. One billion people live without electricity and hundreds of millions have unreliable energy sources or costly prohibitively.

Achieving universal access to energy is a key component in addressing the challenges of global development. The changes that occur in the energy market offer a solution to the problem of access to energy. Community Micronets could represent the most profitable way to offer affordable and reliable power to those currently living without it. Clean, modular, and renewable energy systems are ideal for many of the communities that have not been able to benefit from the conventional centralized forms of energy generation and delivery.

While politics often gets in the way of progress, new energy technologies and commitments by international groups such as the World Bank and the United Nations establish a basis for providing energy access to developing countries. With its increasing cost and performance metrics, we can expect to see that renewable energies are increasingly deployed to provide energy to communities and regions that have been in the dark for a long time.
Source: FORBES