Page 6 - Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings-Volume 1

ZERO NET ENERGY CASE STUDY BUILDINGS, VOL. 1 FOREWORD
Foreword
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Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings: Volume 1
Zero net energy (ZNE) buildings represent a new paradigm in building design—providing super- efficient structures that generate as much energy as they consume over the course of a year. This approach to design has the potential to make massive inroads into the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with building energy use supplied by non-renew- able, carbon-based sources of power. Heightened concerns about the GHG issue are driving and transforming the leaders within the building industry to target this new level of building per- formance.
For decades, California has had the reputation of being the incubator and early adopter of transformative ideas and of demonstrating their practical feasibility. This reputation is certainly well-earned in the areas of energy and environment, with numerous examples of state policy initiatives supported by both public and private sector activities. California has been a leader in energy efficiency, for example, dating back to the days of the “energy crisis” of the early 1970s.
The graph below, documenting the California’s success in this area, has become known as the “Rosenfeld Curve” in honor of Dr. Art Rosenfeld, an early leader in energy efficiency. In 1974, Rosenfeld led the formation of the Center for Building Science at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California—the site of many technical and policy innovations over the past 40 years. This now-familiar chart shows zero growth in electricity consumption per capita in California over the past forty years in contrast to that of the U.S. as a whole.
In 2006, the state legislature passed and Governor Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill (AB) 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act. Its central requirement is that California reduce its GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Although the state’s Air Resources Board (ARB) is the lead agency for AB 32 implementation overall, important efforts in the building sector are also under- way from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the governor’s office.