Zalgirio Arena plans to have a non-intrusive energy management system
Green policy
2019-11-07
Zalgirio Arena is the largest multi-purpose arena in the Baltics, known not only for its regular basketball matches, musical performances and other events, but also for its innovative energy-saving techniques. The arena's intelligent energy management system has reduced electricity costs by EUR 25,000 per year and is expected to save a further 8% by 2022. Arena engineers are working on algorithms to control the system without human intervention and make the use of energy resources even more sustainable.
Zalgirio Arena, which opened eight years ago, may not look like a new arena to someone visiting to watch a basketball game or concert, but there have been a number of important changes inside over the years. Their common goal is to save and use energy resources sustainably. The energy audits, which helped to identify excess energy consumption, as well as the natural drive for innovation and the need to reduce operating costs among the arena's engineers, have helped to shape the energy saving strategy and innovative solutions.
"We have carried out three audits: one on our own and two with the help of other organisations. The audits dictated our energy saving strategy and showed us where we could use energy more efficiently. For example, a thermal imaging survey showed that the south wall was not properly installed - it has a very low thermal resistance, which means we are experiencing high heat loss. We installed additional thermal insulation, wrapped the wall from the inside and the situation has improved considerably," says Vilhelmas Motiejunas, Zalgirio Arena's Technical Service Manager.
Savings of EUR 25,000 per year are just the beginning
The Energy Management System (EMS) installed at the Arena helps to save energy resources, monitor and analyse energy consumption data. It consists of 228 smart energy metering and measuring devices. They record readings of electricity, thermal energy, indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity, wind strength, transmit this information from different parts of the arena and analyse it.
"The arena is constantly scanning, collecting and analysing data. The results of the energy management system are clear: annual electricity consumption has been reduced by 15%. In monetary terms, we are saving EUR 25,000 annually," says Motiejunas.
The size and complexity of the building also dictated more energy saving solutions. It was found to be inefficient to heat, ventilate and air-condition all the rooms centrally, as the needs often vary from one arena to another. Therefore, local HVAC systems (inverter heat pumps) were installed, and only local systems are in place when there are no events in the arena.
"The uninterruptible power supply (UPS) stand-alone cooling unit has reduced cooling costs by 8%. We installed local HVAC systems in the Zalgiris office premises and Sala restaurant. This financial year, such a system will also be installed in the training hall," says the Technical Service Manager of Zalgirio Arena, presenting the innovative solutions.
Innovation drivers - Arena engineers
All innovations have been proposed and implemented by the Arena's engineers. One of the most recent is the pumped storage tank in the cooling system. Powerful units for the whole arena are no longer used in individual areas. They are all combined in a pumped storage tank, which operates in a circular and rotating fashion. In this way, only as much energy is used as is needed. Motiejunas points out that the decisions made have helped to reduce the number of refrigeration machines running at the same time, and refrigeration costs have been reduced by as much as 18%.
Changes are also being implemented in the arena's lighting system. It has been decided to replace the fluorescent luminaires with LED luminaires. The fluorescent luminaires have a capacity of 31 kW, while the newly installed LED luminaires have a capacity of 13 kW. "The work at Zalgirio Arena is already underway. We plan to replace a total of 460 luminaires and save 82,000 kWh of electricity per year, which is about EUR 10,000," says the Arena's Technical Service Manager, who is pleased with the work in progress.
Big plans drive forward
All the energy-saving innovations we've introduced are just the start. Zalgirio Arena is also considering the installation of geothermal heating. The first tests have already been carried out. The Environmental Project Management Agency is also awaiting an answer on the installation of a solar power plant on the roof of Zalgirio Arena. This energy source is expected to generate almost one third of the energy and pay for itself in four years.
The arena's technical service manager also talks about plans to improve the energy management system. In the future, the energy management system is to operate without the intervention of engineers and be controlled by algorithms based on the Internet of Things (IoT). Arena engineers are constantly working and collaborating with research institutions to achieve their ambitious goals.
"There is no stable situation in the Arena. There are matches, there are events, sometimes nothing happens. Energy saving processes depend on all this. Several Zalgirio Arena engineers are studying the engineering systems of KTU's public buildings and are looking into how we can best achieve this goal. We hope to develop these algorithms by 2022 and reduce energy consumption by a further 8%," said Motiejunas.
According to him, businesses should be motivated to implement energy-efficient solutions for two reasons: the economic interest in reducing energy costs and the social interest in reducing GHG emissions and contributing to environmental sustainability. Driven by these incentives, Zalgirio Arena engineers are continuing their search for even more energy-saving solutions.
