I am working on resi-led mixed development. There is a commercial unit on the ground floor which is 1/10th the size of the residential development above. There are PVs installed on the roof of the development which will be used only for the commercial units. Do we need to include PV’s in our calculations for operational carbon study? Please advise.
Hi Shivani,
For purely calculating operational emissions, you do not need to include the PV panels. The actual electricity generated is not linked to the EPDs of the products, but rather to external factors. This type of data is better captured through energy management studies.
For a building-level assessment, including them depends on the scope:
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LEED: Typically falls outside of the scope for these calculations.
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BREEAM / Regulatory Studies: These often consider PV elements mandatory or provide additional points for their inclusion.
Hope this helps!
Steven