Sam Booth 

WREF, 17 May 2012

NREL/PR-7A40-54965

Net Zero Energy Installations

Photo from MCAS Miramer, NREL/PIX 18238 Photo from U.S. Army – Michael J. Pach, NREL/PIX 18635

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
Key Points

• A net zero energy installation 

(NZEI) is one that produces as 

much energy from on-site 

renewable sources as it consumes

• NZEI assessment provides a 

systematic approach to energy 

projects

• Goal of analysis is to lead to project 

implementation

• DoD is leading the way and has 

great potential

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 2 Innovation for Our Energy Future

NREL/PIX 08699

NREL/PIX 17394
Background

DoD Energy

• $3.5B in facility energy FY09

• 2 B square feet

• Average EUI 104

• 29 M acres of land (1.2% of U.S.)

Baseline

• Current energy consumption

Energy Efficiency

• Retrofit improvement potential

• New construction design optimization

Renewable Energy

• Deployment of renewable energy

Electrical Systems

• Interconnection and microgrid

Transportation

• Reduce and replace fossil fuel use

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 3 Innovation for Our Energy Future

Typical 

Community

Option 0

Energy Efficiency 

and Energy 

Demand Reduction

Energy Load ($ or btu or CO2)

buildings

vehicles

industry

Maximize 

efficiency, 

minimize 

demand

Renewable 

Option 1

Renewable 

Option 2

Renewable 

Option 3

Some combination 

of options 1, 2 & 3 

meet remaining load

NREL/PIX 14955
National Renewable Energy Laboratory 4 Innovation for Our Energy Future

PTA

Ft. Carson

U.S. AFA

MARFORRES

Miramar

NSF

NREL NZEI Project Locations

Ft. Detrick

West Point

Ft. Bliss

SIAD

Parks

FHL

Kwajalein

K-Bay

ORNG
NREL Campus – A NZEI Model

World Class, High-Efficiency Buildings

3 Megawatt-scale research 

turbines 

270% of the site’s power needs 

Research Support Facility Solar Vehicle Charging Station

Science & Technology Facility

Onsite Renewable Generation

Renewable Fuels Heating Plan

Offsets 4.8 MBtu Natural Gas Annually

~1.95 MW 

onsite PV 

720 KW Mesa Top Array
Army Net Zero Site Selection

• NREL support to develop program, 

application, and reviews

• 53 Installations applied for NZ

• Energy, water, and waste

• Opportunity to make a significant 

impact on energy use!

– Army ($4 B and 295 T BTU annually)

• Currently in the assessment phase

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 6 Innovation for Our Energy Future

“Net Zero is a

Force Multiplier”
Army Wind Resource 

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Example Results: Site-Specific Studies

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National Renewable Energy Laboratory 9 Innovation for Our Energy Future

Real Property (One size doesn’t fit all)

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

Square Feet

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

# Of Buildings

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

EUI

-60.00

-40.00

-20.00

0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

% Change EUI 2003/2010 

Note: Kwajalien % change is 517%
Sample Analysis From Miramar

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 10 Innovation for Our Energy Future

Housing

19%

Hangar

12%

Office

9%

Warehouse

18% Garage

3%

Brig

2%

Other

37%

Building Portfolio Breakdown

January 1

0 6 12 18 24

0

400

800

1,200

Power (kW)

AC Primary Load

PV Pow er

Generators Pow er

Microgrid Operation with PV and Generators

Baseline Annual Energy Usage Information

Electricity (kWh) 66,543,615

Natural Gas (therms) 1,316,149

Fuel (Gallons)

 Gasoline 89,500

 Diesel 10,000

 Biodiesel 31,000

 Comp. Natural Gas 45,000
Renewable Energy

• Process

 Start with screening tools

 Conduct further analysis of promising 

technologies

 Make recommendations

• Data Needs

 Available buildings and land for siting of 

renewable energy projects

 Site technology restrictions (e.g., not 

interested in biomass project due to 

truck security concerns)

• Analysis tools

 GIS resource screening tools

 Renewable Energy Optimization (REO), 

PV Watts, IMBY, RET Screen, Solar 

Analysis Model (SAM), etc.

• Considerations

 Think outside the “standard tool” box → 

fuel cells, microturbines, solar pools, etc.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 11 Innovation for Our Energy Future

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 11 Innovation for Our Energy Future

Renewable Energy Optimization (REO)

Utility Data from Platts Inc.

Geographical Information System (GIS) Data

Incentive Data from DSIREUSA.ORG

PV Wind Daylighting

Solar 

Water 

Heat

Concentrating 

Biomass Solar Power

Algorithm

Life Cycle Cost Life Cycle Cost

City Cost Adjustments from RS Means & Co.

Optimization

• REO finds the least-cost combination of renewable energy 

technologies to meet net zero goal
National Renewable Energy Laboratory 12 Innovation for Our Energy Future

MCAS Miramar NZEI Summary

Results: 90% NZEI

source Btu reduction

Implementation

• 20-year project lifetime 

analysis

• Capital costs ~$60M

• $26 million in savings

• NPV of $6.7 million

• Landfill gas and fuel cell 

PPA’s

• ESPC and appropriations 

for other projects

PV

9%

Landfill Gas

30%

Fuel Cell 

Electrical 

Energy 

Generation

28%

Fuel Cell 

Natural Gas 

Load 

Reduction

7%

Daylighting

1%

Concentrating 

Solar Power

1%

Elec. Energy 

Eff.

11%

Nat. Gas 

Energy Eff.

2%

Solar Water 

Heating

1%

Fleet

1%

Microturbines

1%

Grid 

Natural 

Gas

8%

Final Source BTU 

Generation/Displacement/Reduction Mix by Energy 

System Type
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Fort Carson NZEI Summary

Results: 95% NZEI

source Btu reduction

Implementation

• 35-year simple payback

• Cost: $842 million

• NPV (40yr): $96 million

Efficiency, 

24%

Wind, 3%

PV-ground 

mount, 5%

PV-rooftop, 

6%

PVcarport, 

6%

CSP, 9%

Biomass 

Heat, 8%

Solar Vent 

Preheat, 2%

Solar Hot 

Water, 1%

GSHP, 26%

Renewable 

Fleet, 1%

NonRenewable 

Fleet, 1%

Natural 

Gas, 7%

Project Development 

Support Through 

Army NZEI Program
Project Implementation Planning

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Site• Where will the project be located

• Proximity to grid and thermal hosts

Resource

• Available land

• Years of life left at landfill

Off-take

• Who will buy the power and/or thermal energy

• Levelized costs

Permits • Interconnection

• Emissions limits for criteria pollutants

Technology • Technical performance goals (MWh per year, time of 

delivery, cost)

• Willingness to take technology risk

Team• Who is the technology partner/developer

Capital

• Ownership structure
NREL’s CORE Microgrid

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• Continually Optimized Reliable Energy (CORE) Design Process
Key Components of a CORE Microgrid

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Load 

Shedding

Dispatchable 

Generation to 

Cover Load

Controller

Energy 

Management 

System

Renewable 

Generation

Energy 

Storage Energy Surety

Optimization 

Economic 

Optimization

Cyber 

Security 

Renewable 

Generation

Seamless 

Transition
Complexities of Net Zero Water, Energy, and Waste

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation for Our Energy Future

Net Zero 

Installation

Water

Energy Waste

• Water, energy, and waste 

are interconnected in 

complicated ways

• Energy requires water 

to produce

• Water requires energy 

to treat and transport

• Waste requires energy 

to transport and can be 

used to create energy

Accounting for this can be very difficult. 

17
Thank You! - samuel.booth@nrel.gov - 303-275-4625