SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “commercial space”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2021

A deep learning-accelerated data assimilation and forecasting workflow for commercial-scale geologic carbon storage

Fast assimilation of monitoring data to update forecasts of pressure buildup and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) plume migration under geologic uncertainties is a challenging problem in geologic carbon storage. The high computational cost of data assimilation with a high-dimensional parameter space impedes fast decision-making for commercial-scale reservoir management. We propose to leverage physical understandings of porous medium flow behavior with deep learning techniques to develop a fast data assimilation-reservoir response forecasting workflow. Applying an Ensemble Smoother Multiple Data Assimilation (ES-MDA) framework, the workflow updates geologic properties and predicts reservoir performance with quantified uncertainty from pressure history and CO 2 plumes interpreted through seismic inversion. As the most computationally expensive component in such a workflow is reservoir simulation, we developed surrogate models to predict dynamic pressure and CO 2 plume extents under multi-well injection. The surrogate models employ deep convolutional neural networks, specifically, a wide residual network and a residual U-Net. The workflow is validated against a flat threedimensional reservoir model representative of a clastic shelf depositional environment. Intelligent treatments are applied to bridge between quantities in a true-3D reservoir model and those in a single-layer reservoir model. The workflow can complete history matching and reservoir forecasting with uncertainty quantification in less than one hour on a mainstream personal workstation.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2022

SULI Research Report Paper

The Intelligence and Space Research Group 4 (ISR-4) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory focuses on signal processing and developing space electronics for various national security missions. The Space and Atmospheric Burst Reporting System (SABRS) is a sensing payload designed for nuclear detonation detection. As the sensors from previous payloads become obsolete, the requirement for a novel payload design increases. SABRS Prime is the successor to the previous SABRS payloads and is scheduled for delivery in 2028. As part of the SABRS Prompt Gamma Instrument Interface Board, high frequency signals from silicon photomultiplier tubes need to be split and subsequently transmitted to the Analog to Digital Converter. Prior to developing the Space Grade Instrument Interface Board, evaluation modules with Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components are evaluated and tested under rigorous conditions. Verification of power levels and gain specifications are some of the important steps taken during the evaluation stage. Working on the Signal Splitting Board has enabled me to work with various schematic software applications and learn more about the processes behind designing space grade electronic components. In addition, I conducted research on efficiency improvements for space-based power systems. Changes in design approaches were found to be the most significant sources of improvement. Being able to interact with researchers and peers across various scientific disciplines has given me a better insight into my future pursuits. Working in a R&D environment has cemented my decision to work on space applications for Quantum Sensing and pursue a PhD in Electrical Engineering. The SULI internship program at the Los Alamos National Laboratory has helped me develop the skillset of a researcher, understand the rigorous processes behind developing space grade hardware, and improve my critical thinking abilities to support the development of reliable instrumentation for deep space missions.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

DOE OSTI2025

Development of High-Quality, Very Large-Grained Cd(Se,Te) Thin Films for CdTe Solar Modules (Final Technical Report)

TCF-21-25048 is a one-year project to quantify the potential attributes of recent NREL inventions where CdTe devices with grain sizes exceeding 100's of microns in lateral dimension can be fabricated using a novel seeded-epitaxial process. A CdSe0.1Te0.9 film is evaporated on commercially available transparent conducting oxide (TCO) where the latter surface roughness (Ra) has been reduced to < 1-nm. After NREL's colossal grain growth (CGG) process, the grain size of this "seed" layer is increased to 100-1000 um. CdTe is then deposited epitaxially resulting in a large-grain CdTe device structure without use of CdCl2. As of this report, we have: Demonstrated the feasibility of using Tec-15 substrates after surface roughness (Ra) reduction (nexTC); Developed reproducible CGG processes for this commercially available substrate; Developed a close-spaced sublimation (CSS) process for CdTe epitaxy using these substrates; Demonstrated that large-grain CdTe films have less sub-band (band tail) absorption than conventional, small-grain CdTe; Demonstrated that large-grain CdTe films (no CdCl2) have carrier lifetimes up to 1.5 ns; Demonstrated that carrier lifetimes in epi-CdTe films (no CdCl2) have comparable lifetimes when compared to the best pX-CdTe films (FSLR) treated with CdCl2; Started making large-grain CdTe devices using CGG templates and epitaxially deposited CdTe.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Results from a wake-steering experiment at a commercial wind plant: investigating the wind speed dependence of wake-steering performance

Wake steering is a wind farm control strategy in which upstream wind turbines are misaligned with the wind to redirect their wakes away from downstream turbines, thereby increasing the net wind plant power production and reducing fatigue loads generated by wake turbulence. In this paper, we present results from a wake-steering experiment at a commercial wind plant involving two wind turbines spaced 3.7 rotor diameters apart. During the 3-month experiment period, we estimate that wake steering reduced wake losses by 5.6% for the wind direction sector investigated. After applying a long-term correction based on the site wind rose, the reduction in wake losses increases to 9.3%. As a function of wind speed, we find large energy improvements near cut-in wind speed, where wake steering can prevent the downstream wind turbine from shutting down. Yet for wind speeds between 6–8 m/s, we observe little change in performance with wake steering. However, wake steering was found to improve energy production significantly for below-rated wind speeds from 8–12 m/s. By measuring the relationship between yaw misalignment and power production using a nacelle lidar, we attribute much of the improvement in wake-steering performance at higher wind speeds to a significant reduction in the power loss of the upstream turbine as wind speed increases. Additionally, we find higher wind direction variability at lower wind speeds, which contributes to poor performance in the 6–8 m/s wind speed bin because of slow yaw controller dynamics. Further, we compare the measured performance of wake steering to predictions using the FLORIS (FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State) wind farm control tool coupled with a wind direction variability model. Although the achieved yaw offsets at the upstream wind turbine fall short of the intended yaw offsets, we find that they are predicted well by the wind direction variability model. When incorporating the expected yaw offsets, estimates of the energy improvement from wake steering using FLORIS closely match the experimental results.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Impact Analysis of Transitioning to Heat Pump Rooftop Units for the U.S. Commercial Building Stock

Twenty percent (25%) of the energy consumed by the U.S. commercial building sector is from on-site combustion of fossil fuels for space heating. Part of decarbonizing U.S. energy systems to meet climate initiatives will require electrification of space heating equipment, often by transitioning to heat pumps. Rooftop units (RTU) are the most prominent commercial building HVAC system type and should therefore be prioritized for electrification solutions. However, there is limited understanding of the impact on emissions when considering regional electricity generation methods, as well as the impact of ambient temperature on capacity and efficiency, defrost operation, realistic sizing methodologies, and supplementary heating on overall heat pump performance. This study explores the effects of transitioning all installed, existing RTUs to high-performance heat pump RTUs for the U.S. commercial building stock. The analysis is performed using ComStock (TM), the U.S. Department of Energy's calibrated model of the U.S. commercial building stock. Results show 10% and 9% reductions in stock aggregate energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, respectively. This analysis will help inform the transition to heat pump RTUs for the U.S. commercial building stock.

commercial building↗

DOE OSTI2020

Characterizing The Mechanical Properties of Polyurethane Foams

The Department of Energy has many radioactive facilities that are on the path of deactivation and decommissioning (D and D). These facilities can sit cold and dark for many years before final disposition, and must be maintained to ensure no radiological release occurs in the interim. Improvements and additions to D and D tool sets can greatly: Save time and money, Reduce worker risk. Conventional fixatives widely used often take the form of paints or films that are not readily applicable to 3-dimensional void spaces. Foams are one promising platform that may offer solutions to a number of contaminated problem sets such as: Gloveboxes, Pipes, Tanks. SRNL is working to characterize various commercial foams that would encapsulate the interior volume of a given space and are capable of immobilizing any remaining contamination. One key performance metric of these foams is how well they will perform in an accident scenario. To this end, SRNL is researching the mechanical properties of these foams to ensure that the material can withstand the environment of application while maintaining structural integrity. ASTM standard E3191-18 served as a guiding document for this project, outlining the requirements that foaming fixatives used for the mitigation of radioactive contamination need to meet before being implemented. Objective: Quantification of the mechanical properties of 6 commercial polyurethane foams was performed using multiple ASTM standards to record measurements for: Compression testing: Flexible Foams, Force required to produce 50% compression, Rigid Foams, Compressive and apparent modulus, Point of 10% core deformation, The 'Zero Deformation' point, Compressive strength, Yield point. Tensile testing: Tensile strength, Tensile stress, Percent elongation. Experiment 1: An electromechanical compressive tester (MTS Criterion Series 43) was used to evaluate 6 foams (4 flexible, 2 rigid). Per ASTM D1621, each rigid foam was compressed at 10% of the measured thickness per minute until the sample was 13% of it's original thickness. Per ASTM D35/4, each flexible foam was pre-flexed twice to 80% original thickness at a rate of 250 mm/min, then compressed to 80% original thickness at a rate of 50 mm/min. Experiment 2: An electromechanical tensile tester (MTS Criterion Series 43) was used to evaluate 6 foams (4 flexible, 2 rigid). Per ASTM D1623, rigid foams were pulled apart at a rate of 1.27 mm/min until the sample broke. Per ASTM D35/4, flexible foams were pulled apart at a rate of 500 mm/min until the sample broke. The strongest material in both compression and tensile testing scenarios was found to be the rigid intumescent polyurethane Hilti foam. The experiments revealed that the Hilti foam in a tensile scenario had a peak stress value that was larger than the closest competitor by a factor of 2.3 and a compressive yield point that was larger than the closest competitor by a factor of 1.4, indicating that the Hilti foam is the best choice for implementation in mechanically harsh environments. The performance metrics measured can serve as a basis for future mechanical tests that would help set relevant ASTM standards (E3191) for intumescent polyurethane foams in fixating applications. Tests like surface adhesion, impact, and flame tests would serve as a better indicator as to how this material would perform in environmentally harsh scenarios often found in decommissioned nuclear facilities. Further tests of the foams' intumescent properties would also be important should these foams be implemented in environmentally harsh scenarios.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2021

Ultra-clean condensing gas furnace enabled with acidic gas reduction

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2021

Potential of Utilizing Thermal Energy Storage Integrated Ground Source Heat Pump System to Reshape Electricity Demand in the United States

Each year, more than 20% of electricity generated in the United States is consumed for meeting the thermal demands (e.g., space cooling, space heating, and water heating) in residential and commercial buildings. Integrating thermal energy storage (TES) with building’s HVAC systems has the potential to reshape the electric load profile of the building and mitigate the mismatch between the renewable generation and the demand of buildings. A novel ground source heat pump (GSHP) system integrated with underground thermal energy storage (UTES) has been proposed to level the electric demand of buildings while still satisfying their thermal demands. This study assessed the potential impacts of the proposed system with a bottom-up approach. The impacts on the electricity demand in various electricity markets were quantified. The results show that, within the capacity of the existing electric grids, the maximum penetration rate of the proposed system in different wholesale markets could range from 51% to 100%. Altogether, about 46 million single-family detached houses can be retrofitted into the proposed system without increasing the annual peak demand of the corresponding markets. By implementing the proposed system at its maximum penetration rate, the grid-level summer peak demand can be reduced by 9.1% to 18.2%. Meanwhile, at the grid level, the annual electricity consumption would change by –12% to 2%. The nationwide total electricity consumption would be reduced by 9%.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2022

Clean Condensing Gas Furnace

Natural gas furnaces are the most common space heating equipment in the U.S. residential and commercial building markets. However, current residential natural gas condensing furnaces generate substantial acidic condensate as well as significant emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and methane (CH 4 ) contributing to environmental degradation of air, water, and soil. This report describes a novel solution to reduce the environmental impact of natural gas condensing furnaces based on the technology of a monolithic acidic gas reduction (AGR) catalyst for SOx trapping, NOx redox to nitrogen, and oxidation of formic acid, CO, HC, and CH 4 . The AGR technology offers the following benefits: (1) a neutral furnace condensate with a pH of ~7, allowing its safe release into the sewer system thus eliminating a second drainage system; (2) trapping and removing nearly all SOx emissions; (3) NOx emissions nearly at nearly 1-2 ng/J, more than 95% lower than new emissions standards in California; (4) the use of a low-cost heat exchanger as a condensing heat exchanger (HX) since the condensate is not acidic, avoiding the need for expensive stainless steel alloys; and (5) unburnt fuel energy recovery to boost efficiency.The AGR component and AGR-enabled furnace performance were broadly tested to determine their effects on long-term reliability and durability, as well as SOx storage and regeneration activity. The AGR regeneration does not impair the performance in achieving neutral condensate and ultra-low NOx emissions, and the AGR catalyst subjected to regeneration activities continued to function well and achieved slightly better annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). The 400-hour reliability and durability test of the retrofitted condensing furnace with the AGR component shows that the furnace unit still achieves a neutral furnace condensate with a pH of ~7 and enables 0~3 ng/J of NOx emissions. However, the 400-hour operation slightly degraded the AFUE because of soot particle accumulation caused by frequent incomplete combustion owing to inappropriate condensate drainage during testing. Thus, proper condensate drainage is critical for AGR-enabled furnaces. Furthermore, neutron computed tomography was employed to survey the aged AGR component and demonstrate high-resolution 2D and 3D representations for the nondestructive diagnosis of the AGR component. The tomography showed that the AGR component did not deform or suffer broken AGR channels. A new AGR catalyst with low precious metal loading was preliminarily explored to identify a pathway of optimizing AGR material loading and maximizing acidic gas reduction at low cost. The new AGR component can reduce precious metal loading by 38% and still achieve neutral condensate and ultralow NOx emissions. The furnace with the AGR component of low Pt/Rh loading enables a maximum AFUE of 97%, which is meaningfully higher than the original furnace. Long-duration testing for the furnace enabled with the low precious metal loading AGR component will be vital in future research. Although the current work demonstrates a proof of concept for the AGR-enabled furnace, the AGR assembly needs to be optimized and integrated into the design of new OEM furnace products. Furthermore, the AGR technology can be applied not only for residential gas furnaces, but also for commercial rooftop units, gas heat pumps, gas-fired water heaters, combustion boilers, and other systems.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

DOE OSTI2026

One Earth Energy Static and Dynamic Reservoir Modeling

This report presents the static and dynamic reservoir modeling conducted for the CarbonSAFE Phase III Illinois Storage Corridor project to assess the feasibility of commercial-scale CO 2 storage in the Mt. Simon Sandstone at the One Earth Energy (OEE) site in McLean County, Illinois. Three-dimensional geocellular models of the Mt. Simon storage complex were developed in Petrel ® by integrating petrophysical log data, core analyses, and seismic surveys from the OEE #1 stratigraphic test well and two nearby wells, with multiple model versions created as new data became available. Dynamic reservoir simulations, performed using Landmark's Nexus software, progressed through three phases (preliminary, sensitivity, and UIC Class VI permit studies) evaluating injection scenarios across varying rates, well orientations, permeability models, and multi-well configurations. Results demonstrate that commercial-scale storage is feasible: three injection wells spaced approximately one mile apart can store a total of 90 million tonnes of CO 2 over 20 years, producing a combined plume with an equivalent radius of 3.2 miles and a maximum pressure-front-defined Area of Review of 178 mi 2 at the end of injection that diminishes to 34 mi 2 after 50 years of post-injection monitoring. Sensitivity analyses indicate that a 20% change in porosity or permeability yields approximately a 7% change in AoR radius, and that perforating the high-permeability arkosic zone minimizes the pressure front compared to injection in the upper Mt. Simon Sandstone.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2020

An Assessment of Impacts on Electric End-Use Load Profile of a Typical Residential Building from a Ground Source Heat Pump Systems Integrated with Underground Thermal Energy Storage

Buildings are the primary users of electricity, and a considerable amount of electric energy consumed in residential and commercial buildings is for meeting thermal demands (e.g., space heating/cooling, water heating, etc.). Therefore, integrating thermal energy storage with a building’s energy system has the potential to reshape the electric load profile of the building and mitigate the mismatch between the renewable power supply and the thermal demands of buildings. A novel ground-source heat pump system (GSHP) integrated with underground thermal energy storage (UTES) has been developed to enable flexible electric demand at buildings while meeting their thermal demands with an energy-efficient GSHP system. This paper assessed the potential impacts of the proposed system on the peak electrical demand and annual electricity consumption in a typical residential building at various climate zones in the United States. The results show that by replacing the conventional HVAC system (air conditioner and natural gas furnace) with the UTES integrated GSHP system, summer peak electric demand can be reduced by 27% to 50% depending on the weather. Although the winter peak electrical demand could be increased by up to 70% if the proposed system replaces natural gas furnace, the existing electricity supply system for single-family homes in most regions of the United States have adequate capacity for the replacement. While eliminating the natural gas consumption for space heating, the proposed system consumes more electricity on an annual basis in heating-dominated regions. However, it consumes less electricity in cooling dominated regions. The resulting variance in annual electricity consumption in various climate zones is within 15% compared with the baseline system.

Shi, Liang↗

DOE OSTI2022

2021 Prototype Design Development Awardee: Accelerate Wind, Inc.

In the United States, rooftop photovoltaic systems can be installed on most commercial buildings. However, even if all available rooftop space is used, solar energy cannot satisfy the building's total energy demand. With many building owners trying to move toward net-zero-carbon-emission energy generation, these customers often have no way to achieve this goal on-site. Rooftop wind energy technology could be an option, but most rooftop wind turbines are not economically viable because they do not produce meaningful amounts of energy and are not likely to pay for themselves within their lifetime. Some rooftop wind turbine companies have attempted to exploit the fact that wind naturally speeds up at the edge of a roof; but, so far, these solutions have also struggled to produce significant energy because only a small portion of that wind can be captured so close to the edge of the roof.

CIP↗

DOE OSTI2023

Analysis of Water-Energy Issues for Nuclear Power with Industry Perspective

The water-energy nexus is a dynamic, ever evolving challenge involving technological changes, regulatory updates, economic constraints, environmental issues, and political attributes. This report expands on a previous report that gave an initial assessment of the water-energy nexus challenges facing the U.S. commercial industry. This follow-up report provides analysis and insights from stakeholder interviews focusing on the issues faced by the U.S. commercial nuclear energy industry within the water-energy nexus space. This report updates and expand the “Cooling Water Issues and Opportunities at U.S. Nuclear Power Plants” This report includes analysis on water withdrawal and consumption by operating nuclear reactors, evolving policy risks that could impact the operation of the existing commercial nuclear fleet, implications of water markets, trading and water rights, the changing energy grid, progressing environmental risks (including analysis on the possible impact of climate change on water availability and nuclear power plant performance), and opportunities to reduce water related risk. The feedback from the stakeholders’ interviews helps incorporate viewpoints from within the nuclear and related industry that can lack representation in other research areas, without constituting a comprehensive opinion survey. Stakeholders interviewed include nuclear power plants operators, water treatment providers, developers, and vendors of reactor technologies.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2022

It's All About the Envelope: Prioritizing Envelope Upgrades for Electrification of Cold Climate Homes

Building decarbonization via electrification on a clean grid is the most promising climate solution proposed to date for the building sector. In cold climate zones, building electrification will be driven in large part by moving from natural gas space heating to cold climate heat pumps (CCHPs). CCHPs are commercially available today, including economical cold climate air source heat pumps (ccASHPs). But there's one big problem - wide-scale adoption of ccASHPs will dramatically increase winter peak electricity demand, even with the highest efficiency ccASHP products. Furthermore, cold climate space heating loads will drive unprecedented electric system peaks during the lowest periods of renewable generation and are likely to overwhelm existing distribution systems. This scenario is avoidable by coupling electrification with building envelope upgrades to reduce peak heating loads. This paper presents a model, built from home energy audit and research data sets, that quantifies the above challenges. Results demonstrate how weatherization efforts coupled with additional high-performance envelope upgrade measures can prepare the building stock for electrification and show the benefit these measures can bring to future utility operations. Much of this envelope upgrade work is cost-effective, according to conservative cost-benefit testing and program successes to date, and is coupled with substantial non-energy benefits. However, persistent market barriers have made scaling of envelope retrofit work challenging for decades, suggesting additional policy support is required. Lessons learned from previous policy experience, combined with new technology and administrative support, create exciting potential for this decarbonization climate solution.

air sealing↗

DOE OSTI2020

A Preliminary Investigation on the Cost Reduction Potential of Optimizing Bore Fields for Commercial Ground Source Heat Pump Systems

The high initial cost of ground heat exchangers (GHE) is a primary hurdle preventing wider adoption of ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems. GHEs used for commercial GSHP systems commonly consist of vertical boreholes installed on a grid with equal spacing between boreholes. Significant thermal loads require a large number of boreholes to be present in the field. However, due to thermal interactions among boreholes, the ground formation in the center of a bore field can, over time, become thermally saturated when the thermal load is not balanced on an annual basis. The loss of effectiveness due to thermal saturation at the center boreholes in regularly spaced borehole fields suggests that larger spacing near the center of the bore field could be more optimal, and in return reduce initial costs. Through computer simulations using the latest development of a GHE modeling tool, this study evaluates the impacts of various unconventional designs of the borehole field on the performance and cost of the GHEs of a typical commercial GSHP system. The unconventional designs include irregular spacing among boreholes with decreased spacing around the perimeter and increased spacing in the interior of the field. The unconventional bore field design shortens the total drilling length by up to 42% while giving better heat transfer performance than a conventional bore field design. The significant total bore length reduction is due to improved heat transfer effectiveness of each borehole in the unconventional bore field.

Spitler, Jeffery↗

DOE OSTI2025

A User-Facing Metric to Quantify the Quality of Mobility (CRADA Final Report)

The leading urban mobility data analytics firm StreetLight Data, Inc. partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to explore a commercial version of the Mobility Energy Productivity (MEP) metric. The commercialization effort was aimed to expand the adoption of the metric to key stakeholders in the urban planning space. Research comprised industry analysis, stakeholder feedback and conducting transportation practitioner focus groups. StreetLight concluded that commercialization of MEP is not feasible in the current market because users need a dynamic MEP tool that enables scenario planning. It should be able to calculate a MEP score dynamically (near instantaneous) when different inputs are changed.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Emerging Technologies for Improved Plug Load Management Systems: Learning Behavior Algorithms and Automatic and Dynamic Load Detection

Plug loads are responsible for a significant portion of the energy consumed in commercial buildings, yet their distributed and ever-changing nature makes them one of the most challenging building end uses to manage. Plug load management systems exist today that utilize smart plugs to meter and control devices at the outlet level, however, their uptake has been relatively slow in part due to the significant labor required for installation and maintenance. Learning behavior algorithms and automatic and dynamic load detection have been identified as two technology areas that could accelerate the adoption of plug load management systems by reducing these labor demands and providing additional energy efficiency and non-energy benefits. Learning behavior algorithms learn occupant behavior and adjust plug load management systems accordingly, allowing for the automatic creation of optimized control schedules. Automatic and dynamic load detection allows a plug load management system to identify devices as they are plugged in to a building and keeps the system up to date as devices are moved throughout a building. In this paper, we present our findings with respect to the current state of these two technologies based on a review of existing research and patents, as well as a series of interviews with companies working in the plug load space. We have found that, as of now, no commercialized solutions exist for these plug load technologies and that more work is needed to bring them to market. In addition, we summarize our findings related to the technology challenges, market barriers, drivers, and opportunities for these technologies moving forward.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

DOE OSTI2020

ENERGY STAR for Tenants: An Online Energy Estimation Tool for Commercial Office Building Tenants

The commercial building sector consumes over 18% of the total energy in the United States. According to the 2012 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), office buildings comprise nearly 16 billion square feet of floor space and consume 253 billion kWh of energy annually. Office buildings represent nearly one-fifth of the energy consumed by commercial buildings, more than any other building type. Therefore, monitoring and reducing energy consumption in office buildings has become an increasingly important focus across the United States. The goal of the ENERGY STAR for Tenants program is to recognize office building tenants who demonstrate commitment to energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. Tenants seeking recognition must complete five major steps: estimate energy use, meter energy use, use efficient lighting, use efficient equipment, and share data. NREL is responsible for the underlying analysis performed for step one, estimating energy use. An online survey was developed for tenants to input information about their office space and its internal loads. NREL performed a parametric analysis across a large parameter space of office buildings. The analysis results were processed to map the user inputs to output energy ranges. The mappings enable the web tool to provide users with instant energy usage estimates based on a limited number of inputs.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗