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Fraunhofer CSE: Applied R&D to Drive Clean Energy Technology Commercialization & Economic Development
June 2014
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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
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Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE)
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
Our Mission: Foster economic development through the commercialization of clean energy technologies for the benefit of society
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Fraunhofer CSE Energy Systems Research and Development
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
Supporting early-stage clean technology companies
Photovoltaic Technologies
Module Design
Module Manufacturing
Reliability
System Integration
Fraunhofer TechBridge
Generation Demand Distribution
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.
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Advanced Building Enclosure Materials
Building Data Acquisition
Building Integrated Photovoltaics
Human Behavior Lab
Fraunhofer CSE’s Research Facilities
Over the last 5 years, CSE has built interdisciplinary labs to support our mission.
PV Module Manufacturing
PV Performance and Durability
Smart Grid Test Field
Advanced Field Testing
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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 CO2
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).
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Energy Management & Behavior Working at the Intersection of Technology and People
Development of Behavioral Campaigns
Building Energy Consumption Characterization
Building Technology Assessment
Whole-Building Energy Modeling
Smart Meter Data Analytics and Algorithms
Field Testing and Evaluation
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Opportunity: Evaluate the side-effects of an energy efficiency campaign
Challenge: Most findings are based on lab experiments or surveys, not on actual real-world behaviors
Project Example: Field Evaluation of Spill-Over Effects of a Water Conservation Campaign
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
Approach:
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Client: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Opportunity: Programmable thermostats have a large energy savings potential
Challenge: Most home occupants do not effectively use their themostats – does usability increase use of energy-saving features?
Approach:
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
Project Example: Field Evaluation of Programmable Thermostats (1) 2
Source: Honeywell
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Findings:
Negligible use of nighttime setback in both groups
Comfort trumps energy: average 72oF at night
Suggests high usability alone is not sufficient
Need to increase motivation
Need trigger action
Project Example: Field Evaluation of Programmable Thermostats (2)
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Persuasive’09, April 26-29, Claremont, California, USA.
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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
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Building Enclosures High-Performance and Durable Retrofit Solutions
Energy, Thermal, and Hyrgrothermal Modeling
Steady-State and Dynamic Laboratory Thermal Testing
Whole-Building and Test Hut Field Testing
Hygrothermal Labs in Development
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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
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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
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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
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The 5 Channel Center Living Laboratory Accelerating the transfer of building science into building practice
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Historic Commissions
Boston and National Parks
Walls and windows
Two Projects
Core & shell
Tenant fit-out
Small building footprint
Design Constraints
20
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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
Design Philosophy
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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
Design Philosophy
22
Source: Osram Sylvania
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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