Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Building and grid system benefits of demand flexibility and energy efficiency

2021; Elsevier BV; Volume: 5; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.joule.2021.08.001

2542-4785

Roderick Jackson, Ella Zhou, Janet Reyna,

Integrated Energy Systems Optimization

Through energy efficiency and demand flexibility, buildings can play a prominent role in mitigating the urgent and severe consequences associated with a changing climate. In this issue of Joule, the paper by Langevin et al. provides clear insight into the magnitude of impact buildings can have. Through energy efficiency and demand flexibility, buildings can play a prominent role in mitigating the urgent and severe consequences associated with a changing climate. In this issue of Joule, the paper by Langevin et al. provides clear insight into the magnitude of impact buildings can have. The global electricity system is undergoing a dramatic transformation. Technology advancements in clean energy generation (e.g., solar photovoltaics and wind) and electrified demand (e.g., transportation and building heating) are providing a cost-competitive pathway to mitigate the urgent and severe consequences associated with a changing climate. Additionally, as extreme events continue to increase in frequency and magnitude, solutions are needed for adapting to the current climate. Through energy efficiency and demand flexibility, buildings play a prominent role in meeting these challenges; recently in Joule, a paper by Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar provides clear insight into the magnitude of buildings’ technical potential. Building energy demand is inextricably linked to grid operation and carbon emissions. Figure 1 illustrates the multilayered, hierarchal linkages between energy demand within buildings and grid operation and emissions. For example, in the United States, building energy demand comprises approximately 75% of electricity consumption and 35% of carbon emissions. Consequently, buildings have a significant role to play in reducing U.S. carbon emissions, and quantifying building resources such as energy efficiency and demand flexibility is essential to defining an optimal decarbonization pathway. The role of buildings in reducing U.S. carbon emissions will grow in importance and impact as broad electrification strategies continue. However, traditional research in the building and power sectors have been largely siloed, and the co-optimized benefits untapped. Institutions like the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) are beginning to launch initiatives to realize these benefits. In BTO’s “A national roadmap for grid-interactive efficient buildings,”2Satchwell, A., Piette, M., Khandekar, A., Granderson, J., Frick, N., Hledik, R., Faruqui, A., Lam, L., Ross, S., Cohen, J., et al. (2021). A National Roadmap for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings. Berkeley Lab. https://doi.org/10.2172/1784302, https://buildings.lbl.gov/publications/national-roadmap-grid-interactive.Google Scholar benefits to the grid are estimated to range from $100 billion to $200 billion in cost savings—the equivalent of 17 million cars in annual emissions savings. Moreover, the technical potential of building demand flexibility and energy efficiency identified in Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar could far exceed these estimates. In research to date, building resources such as demand response and energy efficiency are understood to have a substantial range of potential power system benefits, including avoided generation and transmission capacity costs, reduced energy costs, and ancillary service provisions, but it has been difficult to quantify these benefits precisely at the national scale.2Satchwell, A., Piette, M., Khandekar, A., Granderson, J., Frick, N., Hledik, R., Faruqui, A., Lam, L., Ross, S., Cohen, J., et al. (2021). A National Roadmap for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings. Berkeley Lab. https://doi.org/10.2172/1784302, https://buildings.lbl.gov/publications/national-roadmap-grid-interactive.Google Scholar This is partly due to the lack of realistic energy efficiency and demand flexibility time-series data at a geographical and temporal resolution that can be used in national-scale grid simulations.3Mims, N.A., Eckman, T., and Goldman, C. (2017). https://doi.org/10.2172/1398500.Google Scholar Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar filled in this critical gap by projecting the magnitude of potential building impacts onto hourly demand at the regional level. This could enable researchers to quantify power system cost savings and emissions reductions, as well as other environmental and social gains. At the transmission level, the impact of building energy efficiency and demand flexibility could play a significant role in reducing power system capacity costs. The building efficiency and flexibility quantified by Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar—namely, annual technical potential savings of 742 TWh (18% of total demand) and summer peak savings of 181 GW (22% of summer peak demand)—represent a significant change in both the magnitude and shape of overall electricity demand. Even if only a portion of this technical potential is achieved, it could result in significant carbon reductions by reducing capacity needs and changing the capacity expansion. Specifically, near-term reduction in peak demand can reduce carbon emissions because in the United States, most marginal peak demand is met with natural gas combustion turbines that have a significant carbon intensity. In the medium to long term, reduced peak demand and changes in demand shape would fundamentally change the power system capacity mix. These changes would include reduced baseload generation, such as coal and natural gas combined cycle units; reduced needs for other sources of flexibility, such as storage; and changes in long-distance transmission and spur-line expansion, due to both transformed demand and the different siting of renewable energy deployment to meet such demand. If properly controlled and managed, the building flexibility potential quantified in Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar could facilitate deep carbon emissions reductions in high-renewable bulk power systems by reducing renewable curtailment, system ramping requirements, thermal plant cycling, and storage losses.4Zhou, E., and Mai, T. (2021). https://doi.org/10.2172/1785329.Google Scholar However, all of these benefits require integrated grid-buildings operation. For example, if most of the demand reduction from commercial buildings occurs at midday, as Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar projected, it would lower the “belly of the duck” in high-solar-power systems and reduce the capacity factor of solar photovoltaic generation. This could be countered by shifting precooling and other flexible end uses to high-solar hours. In addition, building flexibility can provide ancillary services in the bulk power system, including regulation and flexibility reserves, the needs for which increase with higher penetration of variable renewable energy in the grid and/or more extreme weather events.4Zhou, E., and Mai, T. (2021). https://doi.org/10.2172/1785329.Google Scholar At the distribution network level, building efficiency and flexibility can defer substation and feeder upgrades as non-wire alternatives; building flexibility can also improve reliability (e.g., through voltage control) and reduce network losses.5Fontenot H. Ayyagari K.S. Dong B. Gatsis N. Taha A. Buildings-to-distribution-network integration for coordinated voltage regulation and building energy management via distributed resource flexibility.Sustain. Cities Soc. 2021; 69: 102832https://doi.org/10.2172/1785329Crossref Google Scholar Although various control and management strategies have been proposed to harness these benefits, additional research is necessary. For example, more research is needed on incentivizing customer participation (especially considering energy equity and justice) and on privacy protection and cybersecurity in grid-interactive buildings systems. Energy efficiency and demand flexibility provide both direct and indirect benefits to the building sector. Building energy efficiency can lead to increased occupant comfort, utility bill savings, improved worker productivity, reduced energy use, and improved indoor air quality and human health.6International Energy Agency (IEA). (2019). https://www.iea.org/reports/multiple-benefits-of-energy-efficiency.Google Scholar Energy efficiency strategies that target the building envelope can also have important climate adaptation benefits, such as allowing the building internal temperature to “coast” for longer during outages, thus protecting the health of the occupants for longer. Demand flexibility can also contribute to some building-level benefits, such as utility bill savings, but much of the value to the building comes indirectly from the grid benefits. Energy efficiency and demand flexibility are also key strategies for decarbonizing buildings. In the United States, on-site burning of fossil fuels accounts for 48% of building energy demand.7U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) (2021). Monthly Energy Review. Section 2. June 2021. https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/archive/00352106.pdf.Google Scholar Full building decarbonization will require shifting these fuels to a decarbonized energy source, likely electricity. Such a shift will require large amounts of additional electricity and could substantially change system load shapes; this new and changing demand will require capacity and transmission and distribution infrastructure investments. However, the demand flexibility and energy efficiency potential articulated in Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar could significantly reduce the additional investment required. Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar’s work provides an important first step in understanding the scale of the building demand-side resources that could be available to the electric grid. In their work, the authors show substantial potential annual load and peak demand reduction from energy efficiency and demand response. Furthermore, they break down their projections by region, time, and technology intervention. These are key pieces to helping the grid research and operation community better understand the magnitude and location of energy efficiency and demand flexibility resources, as well as the specific technologies that might be targeted in utility efficiency and demand response program design. The paper firmly establishes building demand-side resources as non-negligible in the United States and demonstrates that demand-side resources should be further analyzed to provide clarity and confidence in their full potential impact. Using the work of Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar as a foundation, the research community should begin integrated building demand and grid-side modeling to identify the challenges and opportunities of increased demand-side efficiency and demand flexibility. If the quantities of energy efficiency and demand flexibility assessed in Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar were fully deployed, a different grid would be built and operated in response to the changing demand. Similarly, changes like mass electrification will significantly change grid build-out and operation. Furthermore, many of the power system changes might be unexpected, or at least complex to quantify, because of the intricacy of factors influencing power system planning and operation. Thus, it is necessary to do detailed simulation and modeling to understand these potential dynamics. Beyond understanding the influence of major demand changes on the power system, there is an opportunity for the power system planning and operation to not only be responsive to load changes, but also to be intentionally designed as a joint system where energy efficiency and demand flexibility are integrated resources. This future system would synergistically integrate demand and supply side resources to lower carbon emissions, while also decreasing the cost and improving the reliability of the electric grid. The work of Langevin et al.1Langevin J. Harris C.B. Satre-Meloy A. Chandra-Putra H. Speake A. Present E. Adhikari R. Wilson E.J.H. Satchwell A.J. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resource.Joule. 2021; 5: 2102-2128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8) Google Scholar gives a snapshot into the large and central role of the built environment in enabling this clean energy future. This work was authored in part by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, operated by Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under contract no. DE-AC36-08GO28308. Funding was provided by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Building Technologies Office . The views expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the views of DOE or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this work, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. US building energy efficiency and flexibility as an electric grid resourceLangevin et al.JouleJuly 7, 2021In BriefBuildings consume 75% of US electricity and could be a primary demand-side management resource for the rapidly changing electric grid. We assess the technical potential grid resource from best-available building efficiency and flexibility measures in 2030 and 2050 and find that such measures could avoid up to nearly one-third of annual fossil-fired generation and one-half of fossil-fired capacity additions after 2020. Our results quantify the role that building technologies can play in the future of the US electricity system. Full-Text PDF Open Access