Building as Power Plant

Volker Hartkopf, Carnegie Mellon University

Abstract:

The Building as Power Plant (BAPP) initiative seeks to integrate advanced energy-efficient building technologies with innovative, efficient, distributed energy generation systems, such that most or all of the building's energy needs for heating, cooling, ventilating, and lighting are met on-site, under the premise of fulfilling requirements concerning user comfort.

The new building will be a living laboratory for research and demonstration of high performance workplaces that will serve as a step towards broader implementation of the building as power generator in industry and government. It is being designed as a 6-story building (64,175 sq.ft. - 5,962 m2), that will house laboratories, classrooms, studios, and administrative offices. It will be used as a laboratory for studying:

• decentralized energy generation system that will include a 250 kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. In addition, integration of advanced photovoltaic, solar, and geothermal systems will be studied;
• flexible, plug-and-play, integrated, prototypical infrastructure solutions and guidelines for distribution harnesses, terminal units, and distributed user-based controls for thermal, ventilation, lighting, and connectivity;
• issues related to spatial reconfiguration that will allow for "layers of mobility" for workstations and workgroups, and ensure environmental and technical infrastructure to support changing densities/closure;
• natural ventilation strategies.

In this paper, we will describe the innovative concepts that are being considered in the above-mentioned four areas.

Biography:

Not available at this time.