Technology and Policy Projects

Research Projects

Ukraine's Reconstruction, Resilience, and Decarbonization	The South Asia Group for Energy	India Energy Data Management and Energy Modeling	Best Available Technologies in the U.S. Buildings Sector	Building Energy Codes
Certification of Building Materials in China	Energy Performance Contracting	Energy Conservation Building Code	Black Carbon Emission Project

Ukraine's Reconstruction, Resilience, and Decarbonization

PNNL is a member of the Net Zero World Initiative—the flagship international initiative for the Department of Energy that includes 10 National Laboratories and nine U.S. government agencies to provide technical, financing, and policy assistance to countries-regional leaders. The initiative seeks to advance clean energy use in buildings, industry, electric power, and transportation to achieve transformative emissions reductions. In Ukraine, the initiative team started its work with energy system-wide modeling to inform the Government of Ukraine about reconstruction and decarbonization pathways.

Papers and Reports

Clean Energy Roadmap: From Reconstruction to Decarbonization in Ukraine (Report for COP28), released December 5, 2023

The South Asia Group for Energy (SAGE)

The South Asia Group for Energy (SAGE) is a consortium comprising USAID, the United States Department of Energy and three national laboratories: the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The consortium represents excellence in research and international development in the energy sector to advance the Asia Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy (Asia EDGE) priorities in the South Asia region. PNNL’s research areas include assessment and planning for climate impacts on energy systems, coal transitions, industry decarbonization, and air quality.

Papers and Reports

Webinars

NREL Webinar – Decarbonization in South Asia – Perspectives on the Electricity Grid, Industry, and Transportation
PNNL Webinar – Air Quality Analysis, Policy Tools, and an Economic Coal Transition in South Asia

India Energy Data Management and Energy Modeling

The governments of the United States of America and India have created the Sustainable Growth Pillar under the U.S.-India Strategic Energy Partnership. The collaboration is co-led by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). PNNL has led two tasks under this collaboration on energy data management and energy modeling. Below are highlights of some of this work:

Srinivasan, S., Kholod, N., Chaturvedi, V., Ghosh, P.P., Mathur, R., Clarke, L., Evans, M., Hejazi, M., Kanudia, A., Koti, P.N., Liu, B., Parikh, K.S., Ali, M.S., Sharma, K., 2018. Water for electricity in India: A multi-model study of future challenges and linkages to climate change mitigation. Applied Energy 210, 673-684.
Paladugula, A.L., Kholod, N., Chaturvedi, V., Ghosh, P.P., Pal, S., Clarke, L., Evans, M., Kyle, P., Koti, P.N., Parikh, K., Qamar, S., Wilson, S.A., 2018. A multi-model assessmentof energy and emissions for India’s transportation sector through 2050. Energy Policy116, 10-18.
Liu B., M. Evans, S. Yu, V. Roshchanka, S. Dukkipati, and A. Sreenivas. 2017. Effective Energy Data Management for Low-carbon Growth Planning: An Analytical Framework for Assessment. Energy Policy107, pp. 32-42.
Yu S., M. Evans, V. Roshchanka, and B. Liu. 2014. International Best Practices on Energy Data Management: Insights for an Indian Roadmap. PNNL-23623. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Selected presentations

Webinar on water scarcity and the nexus between water, energy, land use and food in India (December 17, 2018)
India’s Energy Data Management, a presentation at the 2018 EIA annual energy conference
Webinar presentation on Building Measurement Practices in the U.S.: Lessons Learned
Energy Data Collection and Dissemination in the U.S.: Supply Side and Demand Side Data

Point of contact: Meredydd Evans

Best Available Technologies in the U.S. Buildings Sector

In 2016, buildings accounted for about 40% of total U.S. energy consumption, while globally it was about one-third. There is the significant untapped potential in the buildings sector to cut its energy use. Both U.S. residential and commercial buildings could decrease their energy consumption by half just by using commercially available energy-efficient technologies.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to develop a Top Ten list to highlight energy savings technologies for the United States’ building sector that represent good value for money, are innovative, reliable and widely available. PNNL developed this list in collaboration with DOE under the Top Tens Task Group of the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC). An Executive Summary on the Top Ten technologies for the U.S. Building Sector is available here.

Best available technologies for the U.S. building sector

Category	Technology
HVAC/Water Heating	Condensing tankless water heaters
	Heat pump water heaters
	Advanced rooftop unit controls
Sensors and Controls	Occupant responsive lighting (occupancy sensing, timer scheduling, dimming)
	Building energy management and information system
	Plug load control devices
Windows and Building Envelope	Fixed window attachments (low-e storm windows, Hi-R window panels, switchable films)
	Comprehensive attic update
	Dynamic solar control systems
Lighting	LED downlight luminaires

*Note that these technologies are not in rank order.

Seven participating members of IPEEC created the Top Tens task group to identify and showcase scalable energy savings solutions. These nations are Australia China, Canada, France, Japan, South Korea and the United States. Within the framework of Top Tens task group, these countries worked together to create a framework methodology that would allow each country to create a domestic list of energy efficient technologies and/or practices for a given sector, with the goal of broadening awareness by promoting it to businesses, policymakers, energy program administrators, and other targeted stakeholders.

This list highlights energy savings technologies for the American buildings sector that are innovative, reliable, widely available, and have good financial value. The scope of building technologies included those that affect energy demand for heating (including water), cooling, and lighting, which in sum account for more than 60% of energy demand in both commercial and residential buildings.

Case Studies

Technologies in the Top Ten list can generate multiple benefits and improve the energy performance of buildings in a cost-effective way. Below are some case studies discussing technology details and applications.

Technology brief:

High-performance HVAC

Low-e Storm Window Attachments

Secondary Glazing Systems

Technology applications and case studies:

Secondary Glazing Systems

Luminaire Level Lighting Controls Case 1

Luminaire Level Lighting Controls Case 2

Industry

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) commissioned Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to create a domestic list for the industrial sector. Additionally, Australia, China, Japan, and the United States collaborated to create an international list of best available technologies and practices in the industrial sector.

For more information about the project, please see IPEEC’s TOP TEN lists.

Building Energy Codes

Building energy codes represent a tremendous savings opportunity for homes and businesses around the globe. Building energy use accounts for over one-third of global energy use, and this share is growing as incomes rise and cities grow. As a result, many countries have adopted building energy codes. Building energy codes help lock in savings in new buildings and renovations by establishing rules on how to construct energy efficient buildings. Today’s codes can reduce energy use in buildings by half compared to buildings prior to codes, based on the experience in countries like China and the United States. Looking forward, many countries are developing roadmaps to work on net zero energy building codes. However, achieving these savings requires carefully planning on implementation and close coordination with stakeholders to ensure they understand the code’s benefits and provisions.

JGCRI has conducted research on building energy codes in many countries around the world. Domestically, PNNL provides technical leadership and support under the Department of Energy’s Building Energy Codes Program. Internationally, JGCRI and PNNL have collaborated with governments, cities and experts in several countries including China, India, Vietnam, Russia, Ukraine and G20 countries. Below are highlights of some of this work.

Additional journal articles

Evans M, V Roshchanka, and P Graham. 2017. “An International Survey of Building Energy Codes and Their Implementation.” Journal of Cleaner Production. In Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.01.007
Yu S, J Eom, M Evans, and LE Clarke. 2014. “A long-term, integrated impact assessment of alternative building energy code scenarios in China.” Energy Policy 67:626-639. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2013.11.009
Evans M, S Yu, B Song, Q Deng, J Liu, and A Delgado. 2014. “Building Energy Efficiency in Rural China.” Energy Policy 64:243-251. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2013.06.040

For more information on India’s building energy code, see Energy Conservation Building Code

Certification of Building Materials in China

Certification of green building materials is a proven and effective way to incorporate, at large scale, products that are energy efficient, have minimal ill effect on indoor air quality, and/or have other green attributes into buildings. Recently, the General Office of the State Council of China, in order to increase the supply of high-quality green products into the buildings market, issued guidance on developing a uniform system for green product standards and certification by 2020. This guidance is one of many high-level government plans to employ certification as a fundamental tool to increase the market share of green building materials.

Under the Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Industry Initiative of the U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group (CCWG), this project seeks to improve the testing and certification system for building materials in China. A gap analysis study of the Chinese system was recently completed, and U.S. and Chinese stakeholders are convening over the next couple months to share and refine ideas on a future roadmap for improving the system. Below is a running list of highlights from this new project:

Certified Green Building Materials–Policy Impact Assessment This report discusses the evolution of China’s building materials certification system and its impact on energy and emissions, including the history of its policies and programs, elements of improving the national system and material database, and quantification of the potential environmental and economic impacts of implementing certified building materials in new buildings nationwide.
Evaluating the Certification System of Green Building Materials in China (GAP Analysis Report) – investigates the certification and testing system in China and the United States relevant to green building materials in order to identify areas for improvement in the Chinese system and provide recommendations.
概要 Evaluating the Certification System of Green Building Materials in China – (Executive Summary of the Gap Analysis Report in Chinese)
Presentation: The Role of Material Certification – establishes the importance of material certification and identifies preliminary areas of improvement in the China system.
Roadmap for Green Building Products in China – Towards a National Standard, Testing, Certification, and Labeling System – conducts a deep dive of standards, testing, certification, and labeling in China for window glass and LED lighting products. Using the lessons learned from these two cases, this report draws a roadmap of implementation steps broadly to enhance the national green building product standard, testing, certification, and labeling system in China.

Energy Performance Contracting

In a collaboration supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. State Department, and China National Development and Reform Commission, the United States and the People’s Republic of China launched joint energy performance contracting activities in 2014 to accelerate the maturation of the EPC market in China and the United States. The project draft deliverables have been shared with the public and reviewed in-person during a U.S. – China EPC Symposium on January 29, 2015 in Beijing. Nearly 100 U.S. and Chinese practitioners participated and shared information on new resources and opportunities that have been developed through the initiative. The project deliverables include:

Market Opportunity Analysis White Paper – outlines the markets, trends, resources, challenges and opportunities for EPC in both China and the U.S.;
Toolkit – identifies key existing resources to assist clients (facility owners and operators), practitioners (energy management companies, service and technology providers) and financial institutions with selecting, developing and executing EPC projects;
Policy Recommendations Report – recommends policy enhancements and/or new policies that could be adopted by government officials, to enable broader use of EPC in China;
Evaluation of Pilot Projects Recognized in 2015 and 2016 – examines U.S.-China EPC pilot projects in 2015 and 2016 to understand impacts and learn from lessons.
Training Seminar in 2017 – discuss policy options and share best practices to scale up EPC projects in Chinese public sector.
Public Sector Recommendations Report – recommends supportive policies that could unlock EPCs in Chinese public sector.
- Chinese version of the report.
Pilot Project Criteria 2018 (In English and Chinese) – sets up requirements that must be met for a pilot project to be eligible for high-profile recognition by this initiative.
- Appendix: Project Submission Template (MS Excel Format in English and Chinese) – helps project participants fill in complete information for pilot project selection.

In the news

Energy Department Announces New Projects Between U.S. and China Businesses to Reduce Energy Consumption – October 13, 2017
Energy Department Announces New Projects between U.S. and China to Cut Emissions – October 13, 2016

View our webinar presentation from April 29, 2015.

Energy Conservation Building Code

In November 2009, with a shared objective for high performing, low emissions, and energy secure economies, the governments of the United States and India launched the U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE). As buildings consume one third of India’s electricity, one of the efforts under PACE is facilitating the implementation of Indian Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) at the state and local levels. In support of this effort, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been providing technical assistance and developed project deliverables. The deliverables include:

Roadmap for Rajasthan to Adopt ECBC – provides detailed recommendations on ECBC implementation in Rajasthan throughout the process.
Third Party Inspector White Paper – compares international enforcement approaches and recommends using third parties in India to enforce ECBC.
Recommendation on Integrating Third Parties in Building Permitting Process – analyzes existing compliance process and recommends integrating third parties into building permitting process.
Jaipur Pilot Building Brochure – summarizes successes and lessons learned from the Jaipur pilot building to demonstrate ECBC feasibility and benefits.
Rajasthan Impact Assessment Report – reviews progress made in Rajasthan on ECBC implementation including compliance, implementation framework, capacity, etc.
Building Code Compliance Evaluation White Paper – shares international experience in compliance assessment and provides recommendations on compliance evaluation options for India.
Toolkit for ECBC Implementation – provides an overview of needed and available resources to support ECBC implementation in cities.
GIFT-ASPIRE One Pilot Building brochure – highlights features and benefits of the first ECBC-compliant building in GIFT City, India’s first smart city, located between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in the State of Gujarat.

In addition to the deliverables, there are presentations to introduce ECBC and share international experience. The presentations include:

ECBC 2017 Introduction(PDF) (PowerPoint version in Zip format)– aims to help information urban local bodies, state governments and other stakeholders about the fundamentals of ECBC 2017 through a better understanding of the benefits of ECBC 2017 and its core provisions.
ECBC Benefit Analysis in Gujarat – assesses long-term, potential benefits of ECBC in Gujarat.
U.S. Experience in Building Code Implementation – shares U.S. experience in implementing building energy codes in smart cities.

Black Carbon Emission Project

In 2009, the government of the United States announced the Arctic Black Carbon Initiative with the aim to quantify and reduce black carbon emissions in the Arctic. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency led the Black Carbon Diesel Initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy worked on black carbon emission reductions from residential sources and the U.S. Forest Service worked on reducing black carbon from forest fires and agricultural burning. All initiatives report to the Arctic Council’s Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP) Short-Lived Climate Forcers Expert Group.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory worked on the Black Carbon Diesel Initiative. The goal of the Initiative was to develop emission inventories, mitigation projects and policy and financing options that will contribute to the reduction of black carbon in the Russian Arctic. PNNL also worked on a national emission inventory of black carbon from diesel sources in Russia. The project deliverables include: