(J03) The Electric Grid is Changing Fast, So Must Our Buildings!

Although grid harmonization isn’t a common coffee shop topic yet, building owners and design teams are re-examining their projects in light of the transition to a power grid to one that is mainly supplied by renewable resources. This session is comprised of four distinct topics around grid harmonization.  The disruptive effects of parallel electrification and renewable energy growth are especially noticeable when considering seasonal grid dynamics. Many of the buildings we are designing today will have to navigate this future grid reality, for which current management strategies such as dispatchable energy storage and peak shedding will be mostly ineffective. Further, owners need to better understand the business case and facilities staff need to better understand the real-life operation of the building measures that enable grid harmonization. Incorporating facilities management staff into the conversation on the design of key grid interactive measures is essential to achieving success where and when the grid needs it most. We will cover best practices and lessons learned that RMI has gathered in pilots and demonstrations for these types of projects. In cold climates, the electrification of large commercial buildings presents several challenges. In the future, with an all-electric building stock, buildings will need to respond to the conditions of the grid not just for reliability but also to reduce emissions as well. This session will review the challenges of heating decarbonization in a future electric building stock and design strategies to lower emissions, reduce equipment, and improve grid responsiveness. These case studies will explain how our teams overcame common and persistent obstacles by layering a new control system on top of the existing building HVAC systems, integrating an emissions signal into the control algorithm, and testing the effectiveness of building load response for emissions reductions.