Penn State Receives $122 Million for U.S. DOE Energy Innovation HUB

New Designs Promise to Transform the Commercial Building Industry

Penn State has embarked on an ambitious plan to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions of new and existing buildings, spur innovation, create jobs, and fine-tune a fragmented building industry.

Penn State is one of five co-applicants of the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC) for Energy Efficient Buildings, a consortium with a shared history in collaborative, regional technology-based economic development.  The GPIC will receive more than $129 million during the next five years from multiple federal agencies.  Of the $129 million, Penn State will receive $122 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to lead an Energy Innovation HUB (GPIC/HUB) to develop innovative energy-efficient building technologies, designs and systems.

This grant is believed to be the largest ever provided to an institution in the Commonwealth and the largest in Penn State’s history. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has committed an additional $30 million of new capital funding to support the GPIC/HUB facilities.

The GPIC/HUB is located at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia which spans 1,200 acres.  The Navy Yard’s size, infrastructure, and diverse building stock, combined with its future development capacity, make it an ideal location for a national energy-efficient building initiative.  An independent, unregulated electric grid simulates the age, technology and diverse load requirements of larger regional grids.  Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter also has a seven-year plan to be the “greenest city in America.”

One long-term goal for the GPIC/HUB is to demonstrate a 50 percent energy savings by 2014 in a scalable, repeatable solution that can be affordably applied to a broad spectrum of buildings.

“Our ultimate goal is to transform the commercial building industry,” says Paul Hallacher, Director of Research Program Development at Penn State. “The Navy Yard will provide builders, engineers and designers the ability to work together in a more cohesive effort,” he says. “The building industry has been fragmented. The goal is to adopt solutions that can apply to the general marketplace.”

Improving existing buildings will have a nationwide impact since they currently consume 40 percent of the energy used in the United States. Researchers and engineers will be looking at energy-efficient design that includes advanced lighting systems, heating and air conditioning, façade materials, independent humidity controls, windows that lighten and darken depending on the sunlight available, and onsite power systems. “We’re looking at products that produce electricity, not just consume it,” Hallacher says.

“This will have a huge impact on the nation’s sustainability,” says Dr. Henry C. Foley, Vice President for Research at Penn State and Executive Director of the GPIC/HUB.  “This research will have an immediate impact without reorganizing our society and culture. It also goes a long way toward energy security and independence,” he says.

Five Research Teams Will Lead the Way

The GPIC/HUB activities are organized and managed by five key research teams or focus areas. They are:

• Design Tools and Processes—Develops and implements integrated design, verification, and modeling tools for energy-efficient building system design.
• Integrated Technologies—Designs and implements advanced components, subsystems, controls, and diagnostics for building systems solutions.
• Policy, Markets and Behavior—Identifies incentives and mechanisms to fully exploit existing building technologies and quickly adopt emerging technologies.
  
• Education and Workforce—Ensures that the new, innovative energy-efficiency technologies and systems created by the GPIC/HUB are supported by a robust human capital infrastructure.
• Deployment and Commercialization—Facilitates the transfer of all GPIC/HUB discoveries, assists in the resolution of disputes, and fosters new cluster partnership opportunities as they arise. Demonstrates and deploys intellectual property (IP) management associated with the buildings and energy sector.

“All sectors of the building industry will be sitting down together–mechanical, plumbing, electrical–with architectural engineers and energy-efficiency experts to decide what design is best for a building,” Hallacher says.

This project will also generate tremendous opportunities for students, says Dr. Chimay Anumba, Professor and Department Head of Architectural Engineering (AE) at Penn State. “This includes access to cutting-edge research developments, exposure to research leaders in the field, high-value case studies, and GPIC-based projects.” The GPIC proposal originated in the AE Department as Anumba wanted to position the department as the premier education and research center for high performance green buildings.

Members and Partners Commit to Project

Both members and partners are engaged in this initiative with Penn State. The 22 members will contribute funding and are also slated to receive DOE funding, as well as funding from other contributors.  GPIC/HUB team members include researchers from 11 academic institutions, two DOE laboratories, five industry partners, regional economic development agencies, and community colleges. All member organizations will maintain key, full-time personnel at The Navy Yard.

In addition to the 22 members, more than 90 partners have made the commitment to the GPIC/HUB with the goal of national energy independence and regional economic development. Partners include additional corporations, universities, community colleges, and technological institutions. They are not budgeted to receive DOE funding, but are eligible to apply for funding from the $10 million Opportunity Research Fund (ORF).  The ORF will provide co-funding for projects that will help advance the goals of the GPIC/HUB.   The request for proposals should be issued within the next six months.

Building 661 Retrofit

This historic Building 661 at The Navy Yard has been chosen for the first renovation project, and will undergo a full spectrum energy-efficient retrofit.  After the retrofit of Building 661, it will be complimented by a newly constructed facility.  Together these buildings will house GPIC personnel, and function as living laboratories for developing tools and methods to transform the building industry’s current fragmented serial method into integrated team efforts.

Penn State wants to exceed the LEED recommendations that are currently in place for new buildings. LEED–Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design–is an internationally recognized green building certification system. Many new buildings that are being built strive for a LEED designation.

Penn State has been active at The Navy Yard for the past 10 years, operating three other DOE Centers: the Mid-Atlantic Clean Energy Applications Center; the Northern Mid-Atlantic Solar Resource and Training Center; and the GridStar Smart Grid Training Center. All of these centers will complement the GPIC/HUB.