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Rebuilding for Sust

Case Studies in the 

SOLAR 2013Lynn Billman, Senior Proje

April 18, 2013

NREL/PR‐6A20‐58541
National Renewable Energy Labo

• Physical assets owned by the U.S.

Department of Energy

• Operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy

• 1750 staff and world‐class facilities

• More than 350 active partnerships

• Campus is a living model of sustainable

energy

Dedicated Solely to Advancing Energy

Efficiency and Renewable Energy
NREL: From Science through Dep

Energy Efficiency Renewable

Energy

Systems Integration 

ResidentialBuildingsCommercialBuildingsPersonal andCommercialVehicles

SolarWind and WaterBiomassHydrogenGeothermal

GridInfrastructureDistributedEnergyInterconnectionBattery and

Thermal StorageTransportation

IFS

I
The Growing Impact of Natural Di

•On average, natural disasters annually affect n

million people and cause $17 billion of econom

the United States.

•Over the last 20 years, number of natural disas

tripled or quadrupled (depending on the sourc

•Katrina – Economic loss of $134 billion; Federa

expenditures of $127 billion (NOAA)

• Hurricane Sandy– Recovery

costs near $100 billion;

over $60 Billion of Federal

funds already authorized
Outlines how Federal Agencies work together to supp

situations (launched September 2011)

National Disaster Recovery Framew
NREL Case Studies in Disaster Rec

Greensburg, KS
NREL’s Role in Rebuilding New Orlean

RebuildingandRemodelingSchools

ResidentialRebuildingSupport

EnPoSu
RebuildingandRemodelingSchools

What we did:

• Partnered with the State P

Department

What we accomplished:

• Rebuilt 40 schools 30% mo

code

• Provided efficiency audits 

schools

• Capacity building for high e

What we learned:

• Schools a critical communi

• High profile projects that e

profile energy redevelopm

Rebuilding, Remodeling New Orlea
ResidentialRebuildingSupport

What we did:• Partnered with larg

the city: Habitat for 

Green Coast Design

energy efficiency in 

What we accomplished• Cost neutral home d

efficiency recomme

to the climate

• 100 High efficiency • 60 Energy Star Hom

for Humanity annua

What we learned:• Balance between th

and timely rebuildin

Residential Rebuilding Support in New 
What we did:• Provided policy evaluatio

Council and Mayor’s Offic

• Worked with community 

strategy development

What we accomplished:

• Emphasis on strategic pla

term policy impact

• Voluntary Green Building • Energy Smart New Orlean

• PV Permit Streamlining an

inspector/installer trainin

EnergyPolicySupport

Energy Policy Support in New Orle

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/office_eere/de_neworleans.html
Greensburg, Kansas

•Typical Midwestern farming community•Population peaked at 2,000 in 1960; declin

by 2006

•Older population: median age 45.6

•Low income population: $18,054 average p

8.4% below the poverty line
May 4, 2007, 9:40 PM
May 5, 2007
DOE/NREL Work Scope in Green

Community Master Plan

High‐Performance Homes

High‐Performance Public and Comme

Renewable Energy – Community Scal

Renewable Energy – Distributed Scale

Alternative TransportationBiomass UtilizationPublications, Outreach Documents, W

Webinars, Conferences/Speaking Enga

JournalsOnsite Coordination /Project Mgmt

Reduce

Building

Energy Use

Use

Renewable

Energy

Reduce

Gasoline/

Diesel Use

Tell the

Greensburg

“Green”

Story

Assist Energy

Planning
Planning for Energy in Community M

http://www.greensburgks.org/recovery‐planning
Greensburg Residential Building

• New homes rated averaged ~43% energy co

compared to code (HERS ratings)

• Renovations rated averaged 25% energy cos

• 32‐unit townhome rentals; about 20 Menno

single‐family; six followed NREL‐designed p

energy cost savings

Pra

Mennonite Housing

Waters Home
Greensburg Commercial Buildings

• First city to pass ordinance requiring all major g

buildings meet LEED Platinum standard

• Most LEED certified buildings per capita in the w

City Hall 

Greensburg Sunchips B

Kiowa County Courthouse Restoration
Greensburg K-12 School

Kiowa 

LEED Platinum: School, Hospital, Large
Proof: Commercial Buildings’ Ener

Typical Code

Energy Star 75

Actual Utility Bills

Thirteen Greensburg buildings are saving a 

total of $200,000 in energy costs per year
Saving Energy: LED Streetlight

• 40% more energy efficient• 70% less operating costs
Utility‐Scale RE: Greensburg Wind 

Class 5: 7.8 mps at 50 meters

9.1 mps at 85 meters

• 12.5 MW (ten 1.2

• About 4,000 hom• Kansas Power Poo

• Greensburg receiv

energy credits for 

• Funding through 

Renewables, and 
Distributed RE: Geo, PV, Wind

• Several ground sour

on commercial and rbuildings

• Photovoltaics on fou• 50‐kw wind turbines 

hospital (two), John Western

Drilling geothermal wells at the Courthouse

2 kW Photovoltaics for 

7 kW Photovoltaics (roof, topright) on Sunchips Business

Incubator
Sharing the Lessons and Telling th

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/office_eere/de_greensburg.html
New York/New Jersey: Hurricane Sand

• Onsite NREL teams in New York and New Jersey

April 2013

• Assisted Recovery Support Function leads in FEM

Corps, Commerce; state government officials; NG

• Provided information and online tools related to e

efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) techngrids, energy opportunities, policies, financing
New York/New Jersey (continued

• Contributed energy expertise to Recovery Suppo

reports for New York and New Jersey 

• Developed and evaluated economic developmen

related to EE and RE

• Facilitated partnerships regarding energy opportu

(NYSERDA, EPA brownfield development, PartneSustainable Communities) 

• https://www.zotero.org/groups/disaster_recovery 
Selected Outcomes and Impacts

• Government agencies working together more 

• e.g., Partnership for Sustainable Communities; Nationa

Recovery Framework

• Specific major companies now doing busine

differently

• e.g., John Deere, many architects and engineers, Habi

and similar NGOs

• Specific government agencies directly impac

• e.g., USDA, FEMA, HUD, EPA

• Demonstrated that disasters do provide an 

to do things differently

• In all parts of the country

• Assisted DOE Program goals

• E.g., Hospital Advanced Energy Design Guide
Thank You!

These projects were made possible by funds f

U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Depar

Homeland Security

Lynn Billman

lynn.billman@nrel.gov

303‐275‐3048