Fraunhofer CSE: Applied R&D to Drive Clean Energy Technology Commercialization & Economic Development June 2014
Fraunhofer is the largest organization for applied research in Europe More than 81 research institutions, including 60 Fraunhofer institutes 22,000 employees, the majority educated in the natural sciences or engineering An annual research volume of 2 billion euros, of which 1.5 billion euros is generated through contract research. 2/3 of this research revenue derives from contracts with industry and from publicly financed research projects. 1/3 is contributed by the German federal government and the Länder governments in the form of institutional financing. International collaboration through labs and representative offices in Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East
Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) Our Mission: Foster economic development through the commercialization of clean energy technologies for the benefit of society 501(c)(3) non-profit, applied R&D laboratory Headquarters located in Boston (MA), additional laboratories in Revere (MA) and Albuquerque (NM) ~ 45 employees, including full-time staff and Fellows Funded by: Commonwealth of Massachusetts National Grid Fraunhofer ISE Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Anonymous private donors
Fraunhofer CSE Energy Systems Research and Development Fraunhofer CSE s research activities have continued to grow in the areas of energy generation, energy efficiency and distribution. Our work bridges academia and industry to develop commercializable technologies. Generation Demand Distribution Photovoltaic Technologies Module Design Module Manufacturing Reliability System Integration Building Energy Efficiency Building Enclosures Energy Management & Behavior Field Testing & Evaluation Technology Assessment Distributed Electrical Energy Systems Grid Impact of High PV and Wind Penetration Microgrids E-Mobility Integration Fraunhofer TechBridge Supporting early-stage clean technology companies
Fraunhofer CSE s Research Facilities Over the last 5 years, CSE has built interdisciplinary labs to support our mission. Advanced Building Enclosure Materials Building Data Acquisition Building Integrated Photovoltaics Human Behavior Lab PV Module Manufacturing PV Performance and Durability Smart Grid Test Field Advanced Field Testing
Building Energy Efficiency Group Mission To accelerate the development, commercialization, and deployment of the next generation of energy-saving building technologies and practices. Decrease primary energy consumption and CO 2 emissions Enhance Durability Create a Productive and Healthy Indoor Environment Areas of Focus: Energy Management and Behavior Building Enclosures Building Technology Assessment Source: Wotzak (2009).
Energy Management & Behavior Working at the Intersection of Technology and People Development of Behavioral Campaigns Field Testing and Evaluation Building Technology Assessment Building Energy Consumption Characterization Whole-Building Energy Modeling Smart Meter Data Analytics and Algorithms
Project Example: Field Evaluation of Spill-Over Effects of a Water Conservation Campaign Opportunity: Evaluate the side-effects of an energy efficiency campaign Challenge: Approach: Most findings are based on lab experiments or surveys, not on actual real-world behaviors Investigated the impact of a water conservation campaign on electricity usage behaviors in the field 154 participating households in one apartment complex Assigned households to treatment and control groups Provided feedback for 11 weeks Measured water and electricity consumption per household Findings: Residents lower their water usage by ~6%, but increased electricity consumption by ~5.6%: Suggests moral licensing
Project 2 Example: Field Evaluation of Programmable Thermostats (1) Client: Opportunity: Challenge: Approach: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Programmable thermostats have a large energy savings potential Most home occupants do not effectively use their themostats does usability increase use of energy-saving features? Recruited multifamily building for a field study with 90 households Randomly installed high usability and basic thermostats in units Installed non-intrusive sensors to monitor temperatures and HVAC activity Applied data analysis algorithms to evaluate thermostat use Source: Honeywell
Project Example: Field Evaluation of Programmable Thermostats (2) Findings: Negligible use of nighttime setback in both groups Comfort trumps energy: average 72 o F at night Suggests high usability alone is not sufficient Need to increase motivation Need trigger action Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Persuasive 09, April 26-29, Claremont, California, USA.
Project Example: Field Evaluation of Steam Control Technology Client: Radiator Labs Challenge: Steam heated buildings often overheat People open windows, wasting energy Insulating radiator technology delivers heat to rooms only when needed Approach Prototype field testing and evaluation in 100-unit building in New York City Deploy additional instrumentation Analyze field data, occupant surveys Outcomes Measured energy savings, thermal comfort, and occupant satisfaction Identified technology improvements Insulating Sleeve + Fan Control = Thermal Comfort + Energy Savings
Building Enclosures High-Performance and Durable Retrofit Solutions Energy, Thermal, and Hyrgrothermal Modeling Whole-Building and Test Hut Field Testing Steady-State and Dynamic Laboratory Thermal Testing Hygrothermal Labs in Development
Project Example: Field Testing of Exterior Insulation Finishing System (EIFS) Based on Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs) Client: U.S. Department of Energy Goal: To assess the field performance of the VIP-based EIFS technology in building retrofit applications. Implemented VIP-based EIFS as a new retrofit strategy to selected test houses in Maine Climate Deployed instrumentation for field testing to measure temperature and moisture gradients in the walls Monitored field performance for one year Evaluated and analyzed the field test data Performed energy (EnergyPlus) simulations and hygrothermal (WUFI) analyses to validate and extend performance evaluation Outcomes: Found a low risk of moisture accumulation, with moisture contents of plank wood and plywood <12% based on modeling and measurements Energy modeling found annual heating energy consumption savings of 49%, with savings of 71% achievable with improved air tightness
Project Example Guidelines for Cool Roofs Client: Oak Ridge National Laboratory / DOE Goal: Create science-based practical guidelines to help building owners to effectively consider cool roofs for commercial buildings Assessed cool roof options for different roof types Synthesized the technical literature on cool roof performance Interviewed roof installers and product manufacturers Evaluated cost and energy savings of cool roof options Identify key factors and pros/cons for building owners to consider Outcome: Final Guidelines Document Posted on DOE/BT website: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/coolroofguide.pdf
Project Example: Internal Roof and Attic Thermal Radiation Control Retrofit Strategies Client: U.S. Department of Energy, RIMA Goal: Evaluate how radiation control retrofit strategies for residential roof/attics in cooling-dominated climates can decrease cooling loads. Implemented internal roof/attic radiation control technologies: Radiant Barrier (RB) & Internal Radiation Control Coating (IRCC) in two Texas test homes Performed 6-month field test, measuring temperatures, heat fluxes, HVAC energy consumption Analyzed measurements and performed energy simulations (EnergyPlus) to extend energy savings and cost effectiveness analyses Outcomes: 34% reduction of attic-generated cooling load due to RBs and 24% reduction due to IRCC Simple payback period of retrofits from 16 to 22 years
The 5 Channel Center Living Laboratory Accelerating the transfer of building science into building practice
Before a 100 year-old former warehouse = historic building. 18
Design Philosophy 1. Reduce building loads 2. Meet loads efficiently 19
Design Constraints Historic Commissions Boston and National Parks Walls and windows Two Projects Core & shell Tenant fit-out Small building footprint 20
Design Philosophy HVAC Reduce Loads Highly insulate walls (only interior allowed!) and roof Reduce outdoor air (OA) volumes OA pre-conditioning High-performance windows Reduce summer solar heat gain HVAC Meet HVAC loads efficiently Low-lift cooling Efficient chiller 21
Design Philosophy Lighting Lower ambient light levels Dim and turn off lighting when possible Efficient lighting Plug Loads Regenerate energy from elevator Turn plug loads off Ongoing Commissioning Source: Osram Sylvania 22
5 Channel Center: A Living Laboratory for Building Energy Efficiency Research: Research and develop building energy technologies Enclosures HVAC Energy management and behavior Lighting / shading Vertical transport Demonstrate & Validate: Monitor, test, and evaluate building system performance