Page 7 - Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings-Volume 3

FOREWORD
ZERO NET ENERGY CASE STUDY BUILDINGS, VOL. 3
(Below) Aerial view of Butte College campus near Oroville, with some of the solar PV ar- rays that form the renewable energy system installed as a regular feature of its ongoing fa- cility plan. See Case Study No. 15 in this Volume 3 of Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings.
Long-term, the most successful GHG mitigation strategies on the demand side of the grid will al- most certainly revolve around dynamic load flexibility and grid-responsiveness. Although trends are emerging, optimizing the grid emissions profile is likely to be a moving target as we move toward 2050; the ability of buildings to respond dynamically to the target will be key.
The Challenge of our Time: Accessing “New” Value Streams for “Old” Buildings. In new construction, knowledgeable builders can achieve ZNE performance levels for little or no incremental cost. Of course, on the order of 70-80% of the building stock that will be in service in 2050 has already been built. Further, a large amount of GHG is embedded in the concrete and steel in these buildings, tilting the scale toward preservation. Reaching the GHG emissions goals is clearly a challenge for our time, an all-of-the-above endeavor: we need more efficiency, we need a cleaner power grid, we need to electrify end use, we need renewable thermal fuel. Everything!
To focus back on the efficiency piece, it’s fair to say we have structured our energy efficiency industry around ROI and payback based solely on the energy cost savings. Regulators demand cost-effectiveness, but only from the perspective of metrics reflecting energy cost savings. Un- der this schema, it only makes sense to pursue those measures that pay for themselves with energy savings over some time frame. Utility programs and ESCO efforts have been structured accordingly. But renovating existing buildings to performance levels consistent with ZNE in or-
Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings: Volume 3
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PHOTO: PETERSON PROVIDEO