Emerging Technologies for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings and Communities

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing share of renewable electricity generation and growing peak energy demand have posed continuing challenges to the reliable and stable operation of energy grids. Buildings, as one of the major end-users of electricity, are also widely considered the key to energy savings and grid modernization.

Incorporated with an array of emerging technologies, such as efficient HVAC systems, on-site power generation, and electrical storage, grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) can schedule the various energy use activities of its occupants to avoid high peak load, thus eliminating disruptions stemming from grid stress issues and enhancing the building’s resilience to extreme weather conditions. Several pilot field studies by the U.S. Department of Energy have demonstrated that connected communities of GEBs have the potential to consume 40% less electricity than today’s average all-electric home. In addition, with buildings' operational energy accounting for 27% of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2020, GEBs are also recognized as the frontier for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment. Therefore, the Federal Smart Buildings Accelerator program set a goal of transitioning to zero-emission fleets throughout U.S. Government Agencies leveraging smart building and grid-responsive technologies.

This Topic seeks to highlight the state-of-the-art research on GEB systems and emerging technologies associated with its applications for energy efficiency and decarbonization in buildings and communities. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Emerging technologies for flexible loads and decarbonization;
• Energy storage and distributed energy resources;
• Novel sensors and advanced controls to co-optimize efficiency, occupant needs, and flexibility;
• Building and district energy modeling for GEBs and communities;
• Grid-integrated HVAC equipment, water heating, and appliances;
• Smart building envelope and windows for flexible loads;
• Energy-efficient electrification of building energy needs;
• Adaptive cyber defense and resilient systems;
• Validation and verification of building performance for grid services and building energy systems;
• Life cycle assessment of energy, cost, and GHG emissions of GEBs and communities.

Dr. Zhihong Pang
Dr. Xing Lu
Dr. Huilong Wang
Dr. Xu Han
Topic Editors