Aug 05, 2008 -- Energy Department Documents and Publications/ContentWorks
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy
Efficiency David Rodgers today announced the launch of DOE's Zero-Net Energy
Commercial Building Initiative (CBI) with establishment of the National
Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technologies Collaborative (NLCBT).
These two efforts both focus on DOE's ongoing efforts to develop marketable
Zero-Net Energy Commercial Buildings, buildings that use cutting-edge
efficiency technologies and on-site renewable energy generation to offset
their energy use from the electricity grid by 2025. The announcement was
made at the California Clean Tech Open, a competition that supports
innovative and sustainable new businesses which focus on energy efficiency,
smart power, renewable energy, transportation, green building technologies,
pollution control and resource management. DOE's National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) will help sponsor the 2008 California Clean Tech Open, a
business plan competition that supports the development of clean technology
companies.
"DOE's Commercial Building Initiative and the Collaborative are urgently
needed to accelerate innovation and market adoption in the field of high
performance buildings," said Deputy Assistant Secretary Rodgers. "Now we are
bringing to bear the unprecedented collaboration in scientific resources of
five National Laboratories to bring about the needed transformation of the
built environment, lower our carbon footprint in buildings and accelerate
commercial deployment of clean, efficient building technologies."
In 2005, commercial buildings used 18 percent of energy in the United
States, accounting for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. The Zero-Net
Energy CBI strives to make new commercial buildings capable of generating as
much energy as they consume available by 2025. Energy generation will be
achieved through advanced energy efficiency technologies and on-site
renewable energy generation systems, such as solar power and geothermal
energy.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007), signed by
President Bush in December 2007, authorizes the Department to collaborate
with the private sector, DOE's National Laboratories, other federal
agencies, and non-governmental organizations to advance high-performance
commercial green buildings. DOE's Building Technologies Program will support
High Performance Green Building activities in EISA 2007, including:
* - - Technology research and development;
* - - Sponsorship of pilot and demonstration projects across multiple
climate zones;
* - - Provision of technical assistance to encourage widespread technology
adoption;
* - - Development of training materials and programs for builders;
* - - Public education on the need for efficiency in new and existing
buildings;
* - - Work with code-setting bodies to ensure technologies are properly
deployed;
* - - Analysis of incentives for builders, landlords, and tenants to ensure
that cost-effective investments are made on a life-cycle basis; and,
* - - Development of a means for measurement and verification of energy
savings.
To help fulfill these responsibilities, the Department will use the
intellectual and scientific resources of DOE's National Laboratories:
Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National
Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory. This new NLCBT will enable the labs and DOE
to work closer on research, validation, and commercialization priorities
critical to the success of zero-net energy buildings.
NREL, in its capacity as a DOE-sponsored national laboratory, is providing
$100,000 to the California Clean Tech Open on behalf of the DOE/ NLCBT to
facilitate initiation and development of a green buildings award category
under the competition.
The High-Performance Green Building activities laid out in EISA 2007
represent an extension of DOE's existing accomplishments in building
research, development, and deployment - including partnerships with American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers;
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, U.S. Green Building
Council; and the American Institute of Architects to develop Advanced Energy
Design Guides for 30 percent Energy Savings, more than 110,000 copies of
which have been distributed through DOE's partners.
To learn more about DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs in
buildings, visit http://buildings.energy.gov
For more information on the California Clean Tech Open, visit
http://www.CleanTechOpen.com
-DOE-
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