Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technologies towards Net-Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs)

Dear Colleagues,

The building sector typically consumes 20–40 % of the annual primary energy in different countries. Therefore, advancements in building energy efficiency could significantly reduce energy use and mitigate carbon emissions. Net-zero-energy buildings (NZEBs), which produce at least as much energy as they use in a year, are expected to play a key role in building energy savings and have attracted increasing interest all over the world. Many countries have set long-term goals to achieve NZEBs for a sustainable future.

NZEBs are realized through minimizing the building energy demand or increasing renewable energy generation. Although using a large-enough renewable energy device (e.g., PV panel) can offset the building energy demand and thus realize the net-zero goal, a good NZEB should first encourage energy efficiency to minimize the building energy demand and overall environmental impact. The renewable energy technologies for NZEBs include solar energy systems, wind energy systems, biomass energy systems, etc., while the energy efficiency technologies for NZEBs include improved building designs, advanced HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) systems, DHW (domestic hot water) systems, etc. Advancements in both renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency technologies will propel broader and better implementation of NZEBs throughout the world. 

This Special Issue aims to provide an academic and technical platform for researchers and engineers to discuss their new solutions and unique perspectives for the development of NZEBs. Original research and technical review articles on advanced technologies for both residential and commercial NZEBs are highly welcome. The covered renewable energy and energy efficiency topics include but are not limited to:

• photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal
• photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T), building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV)
• wind turbine
• biomass combined heat and power (CHP)
• fuel cell CHP
• passive building technology, building design optimization
• heat recovery ventilation
• dehumidification system
• heat pump system
• phase change material, energy storage system

Thanks for your invaluable contributions.

References:

[1] Pless, S., Torcellini, P. Net-zero energy buildings: A classification system based on renewable energy supply options (No. NREL/TP-550-44586). National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL): USA, 2010.

[2] Marszal, A. J., Heiselberg, P., Bourrelle, J. S., Musall, E., Voss, K., Sartori, I., Napolitano, A. Zero Energy Building–A review of definitions and calculation methodologies. Energy and buildings. 2011, 43(4), 971–979.

[3] Garde, F., Donn, M. Solution Sets and Net Zero Energy Buildings—A Review of 30 Net ZEBs Case Studies Worldwide. IEA Joint SHC Task 40 / ECBCS Annex 52, 2014.

[4] Fanney, H., Healy, W. M. Design Challenges of the NIST Net Zero Energy Residential Test Facility. NIST Technical Note. USA, 2014.

[5] Fanney, A. H., Payne, V., Ullah, T., Ng, L., Boyd, M., Omar, F. Healy, W. Net-zero and beyond! Design and performance of NIST's net-zero energy residential test facility. Energy and Buildings, 2015, 101, 95–109.

[6] Wells, L., Rismanchi, B., Aye, L. A review of net zero energy buildings with reflections on the Australian context. Energy and Buildings. 2018, 158, 616–628.

[7] Wu, W., Skye, H. M., Domanski, P. A. Selecting HVAC systems to achieve comfortable and cost-effective residential net-zero energy buildings. Applied Energy. 2018, 212, 577–591.

[8] Wu, W., Skye, H. M. Net-zero Nation: HVAC and PV Systems for Residential Net-Zero Energy Buildings across the United States. Energy Conversion and Management. 2018, 177, 605–628.

Dr. Wei Wu
Dr. Tian You
Guest Editors

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• Net-zero energy building
• Building energy efficiency
• Renewable energy system
• Heat pump
• HVAC