The continued expansion of energy storage and other distributed energy resources (DERs), as well as the emergence of building demand flexibility as an important design attribute, help support California’s legislation and decarbonization goals. Maintaining building performance and integrating systems to achieve ongoing energy management information systems.
Site level electrical infrastructure needs and capabilities to enable low- or carbon-neutral buildings, demand-flexible end-uses, distributed energy resources, and grid harmonization. Refers to single and multi-structure sites that use a common utility connection.
Electric Panel Upgrades, Transformers, DC-Power Systems
Improvements to the electrical infrastructure deployment will be necessary to support broad decarbonization efforts as many existing buildings will need electric upgrades to support the electrification of end-use systems such as water heating, space heating, and other gas end-uses (clothes dryers, cooktops, etc.). EV charging will also drive the need for added electrical capacity. Strategies/technologies to improve cost-effectiveness in deploying electrical infrastructure and/or demonstration of effective load management strategies that enable electrification will be of high interest (e.g. smart circuit breakers, smart panels, and ability to support the flexible demand technologies under SB-49).
For projects that directly support Demand Flexibility such as v2x, CalNEXT will look for ways to collaborate with existing ET programs.
Electrical infrastructure upgrades are a relative newcomer to the utility program landscape having recently been incorporated into a number of CA eTRM measures as a cost component for fuel substitution measures. Still more work is needed to fully understand the role electrical infrastructure plays as a barrier to electrification efforts.
Potential barriers studies should address:
Includes single products that serve multiple end-uses (e.g. HP serving DHW and HVAC, perhaps with integrated thermal storage), BMS controls that integrate control between multiple end uses (e.g. networked lighting sensors used for lighting and HVAC control), and integrated packages of measures (e.g. electrification packages with measures to improve envelope and reduce loads to a heat-pump HVAC retrofit OR integrated design that provides multiple services/benefits from each component such TABS embedded radiant floor panels, or broadly GEBs: Grid Interactive Efficient Buildings)
Multifunction Equipment, Integrated Controls, Integrated or Interactive Measure Packages
Integrated Systems have potential to bring large performance improvements beyond that of individual components or individual systems. Certain applications have the potential to reduce barriers and costs by providing electrification of multiple systems that can also result in large energy savings & improving demand flexibility (e.g. an integrated heat-pump system that combines water heating, thermal storage, space heating, and cooling).
Prospective ET projects should focus on development of efficiency measures or strategies that integrate multiple technologies that result in improved performance and/or reduced deployment costs.
Most performance improvements are component-based approaches addressing one piece of equipment or end-use at a time. Integrated systems can be significantly more complex, can span multiple building systems, and typically require a greater level of design, assessment, and more complex maintenance. For example, the CA eTRM database includes predominantly single technology or single or single end-use, resulting in most integrated systems solutions having to follow a custom-engineered approach.
Potential barriers studies should address:
Energy Savings Potential: Medium
Decarbonization Potential: High
Demand Flexibility Potential: High
Other Emissions Impacts: Low
Technical Performance: Medium
Market Understanding: Low
Program Intervention: Medium
Manufactured Housing, Modular Building Components, Panelized Components, Low-Embodied Carbon designs, Site-built design
Improvements in building design practices have the potential to reduce lifetime emissions associated with construction by implementing building materials with lower embodied carbon. State of CA and local jurisdictions have been driving change in this area with policies such as the Buy Clean California Act (BCCA) which set GWP limits for steel, concrete, glass, and mineral wool insulation used in state projects, Low-Carbon Concrete Requirements adopted by County of Marin in 2019, and SB-596(2021) which will develop a statewide net-zero emissions strategy for the cement sector.
Improvements in off-site or partial off-site construction have the opportunity to reduce construction costs and deployment times while improving performance and reliability of building systems, as well as de-risk integration of new strategies (such as incorporation of low embodied carbon materials or all-electric building designs). Improvements in this area may be of particular importance residential housing market as additional dwelling units and manufactured housing should expect significant growth to address the state’s housing affordability crisis.
Prospective ET studies should focus on development and deployment of lower embodied carbon buildings or high-performance whole buildings through demonstrations, scaled deployments, improvements to modeling & analysis tools, or other strategies.
While a mature industry, Whole Building Design & Construction has not been a focus for CA utilities ET Program. This has been a dynamic area in recent years with a variety of recent policy changes and represent an area of significant potential for utility programs to research and develop programs to align with policy goes to reduce embodied carbon emissions.
Potential barriers studies should address:
Energy Savings Potential: Medium
Decarbonization Potential: Medium
Demand Flexibility Potential: Medium
Other Emissions Impacts: High
Technical Performance: Low
Market Understanding: Medium
Program Intervention: Medium
Roofing, Fenestration, Opaque Envelopes, Air Sealing
Improvements to the building envelopes will provide better thermal comfort, reduced heating and cooling energy usage, improved air quality, moisture control and better resilience for buildings.
Prospective ET studies should focus on envelope improvements that improve energy performance, address IAQ/IEQ concerns and support building electrification efforts (i.e. reducing need for space heating) through improved materials as well as improved construction practices. Deployable technologies for the existing building sector that address costs or improve affordability will be especially important.
Envelopes are a mature field but have been historically under-analyzed in favor of more straightforward widget-based appliance options (this is especially true for the non-residential sector). ET investments in this technology family can promise both improved savings, lower lifetime cost, as well as several co-benefits that need evaluation.
Potential barriers studies should address:
Energy Savings Potential: Medium
Decarbonization Potential: Medium
Demand Flexibility Potential: Low
Other Emissions Impacts: Medium
Technical Performance: Medium
Market Understanding: Low
Program Intervention: Medium
The benefits include higher system efficiency, energy resilience, load flexibility, and/or grid harmonization. Quality Insulation Installation, reducing thermal bridging, air sealing and vapor barriers.
Microgrids, Virtual Power Plans, District Heating & Cooling
Under Community-Scale strategies, prospective ET studies should demonstrate performance benefits in terms of emissions reductions and cost-effectiveness of those emissions reductions. Microgrids sites should target regions most susceptible to grid outages (PSPS events) or DAC and HTR communities. For virtual power plants, studies should demonstrate effective program designs for DAC and HTR communities.
Potential barriers studies should address:
Energy Savings Potential: Low
Decarbonization Potential: Medium
Demand Flexibility Potential: High
Other Emissions Impacts: Medium
Technical Performance: Medium
Market Understanding: Low
Program Intervention: Low
Please refer to the Emerging Technologies Coordinating Council for a complete list of active and completed projects to ensure your project is not duplicative.