The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently launched the
Zero-Net Energy Commercial Building Initiative (CBI) with the objective of
developing new commercial buildings that produce as much energy as they use by
2025. Energy-efficiency technologies and on-site renewable energy generation
systems, including solar power and geothermal energy, will help make this
possible. DOE also has formed the National Laboratory Collaborative on Building
Technologies, which will allow the department and five of its national
laboratories to work together on the research, validation, and
commercialization priorities that are important to achieving zero-net energy
buildings.
"DOE's Commercial Building Initiative and the
Collaborative are urgently needed to accelerate innovation and market adoption
in the field of high performance buildings," says DOE Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Energy Efficiency David Rodgers. "Now we are bringing to
bear the unprecedented collaboration in scientific resources of five national
laboratories to bring about the needed transformation of the built environment,
lower our carbon footprint in buildings and accelerate commercial deployment of
clean, efficient building technologies."
To learn more about DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs in buildings, visithttp://buildings.energy.gov.