Building Scale vs. Community Scale Net-Zero Energy Performance
Many government and industry organizations are focusing building energy-efficiency goals around producing individual net-zero buildings (nZEBs), using photovoltaic (PV) technology to provide on-site renewable energy after substantially improving the energy efficiency of the buildings themselves. Seeking net-zero energy (NZE) at the community scale instead introduces the possibility of using a wider range of renewable energy technologies, such as solar-thermal electricity generation, solar-assisted heating/cooling systems, and wind energy, economically. This paper reports results of a study comparing NZE communities to communities consisting of individual nZEBs. Five scenarios are examined: 1) base case – a community of nZEBs with roof mounted PV systems; 2) NZE communities served by wind turbines on leased land; 3) NZE communities served by wind turbines on owned land; 4) communities served by solar-thermal electric generation; and 5) communities served by photovoltaic farms. All buildings are assumed to be highly efficient, e.g., 70% more efficient than current practice. The scenarios are analyzed for two climate locations (Chicago and Phoenix), and the levelized costs of electricity for the scenarios are compared. The results show that even for the climate in the U.S. most favorable to PV (Phoenix), more cost-effective approaches are available to achieving NZE than the conventional building-level approach (rooftop PV with aggressive building efficiency improvements). The paper shows that by expanding the measurement boundary for NZE, a community can take advantage of economies of scale, achieving improved economics while reaching the same overall energy-performance objective.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1001502
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-71275; TRN: US201102%%202
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2010 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, 2-151 - 2-168
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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