Net Zero: What Does It Mean And

How Is It Achieved?
Solarponics Solar Energy Systems
www.solarponics.com
[email protected]

May 31, 2015

There are many sources that define net zero

differently, such as The International Living
Future Institute, The Department of Energy, or
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
For our purposes, we’ll accept the Wikipedia
definition, since it allows for Wikipedia editors
to update and revise the definition, creating a
common, agreed upon definition.

Net Zero is a term most commonly associated

with commercial buildings, although it is
completely possible for any habitable structure
to be a net zero structure.

A zero-energy building, also known as a zero net energy (ZNE) building, net-zero
energy building (NZEB), or net zero building, is a building with zero net energy
consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is
roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site, or nearby.

This definition doesn't account for the type of energy used, though. Where this becomes
important is if the building uses natural gas, propane, or some other fuel besides electricity.

Net Zero buildings consequently contribute less overall greenhouse gas to the atmosphere
than similar non-ZNE buildings. They do at times consume non-renewable energy and
produce greenhouse gases, but at other times reduce energy consumption and greenhouse
gas production elsewhere by the same amount.

Most zero net energy buildings get half or more of their energy from the grid, and return the
same amount at other times. Buildings that produce a surplus of energy over the year may
be called "energy-plus buildings" and buildings that consume slightly more energy than they
produce are called "near-zero energy buildings" or "ultra-low energy houses."
Traditional buildings consume 40% of the total fossil fuel energy in the US and European
Union and are significant contributors of greenhouse gases.1The zero net energy
consumption principle is viewed as a means to reduce carbon emissions and reduce
dependence on fossil fuels and although zero-energy buildings remain uncommon even in
developed countries, they are gaining importance and popularity.2

Most zero-energy buildings use the electrical grid for energy storage but some are
independent of the grid. Energy is usually harvested on-site through energy producing
technologies like solar and wind, while reducing the overall use of energy with highly efficient
HVAC and lighting technologies such as LED. The zero-energy goal is becoming more
practical as the costs of alternative energy technologies decrease and the costs of traditional
fossil fuels increase.

So, what is a net zero city? Well, in the simplest terms and definition, it is a city with zero net
energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the entire infrastructure of
the city on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on
the site, or nearby.

That would include energy used by all vehicles, construction, public works, buildings,
homes, maintenance, etc.. Every kWh of energy that the city uses, it would need to produce
and/or offset at an equal equivalent.

The largest net-zero community in the U.S. is West Village, a mixed-use campus
neighborhood at UC Davis, designed to house 3,500 students, staff, and families once
complete. Phase one has been occupied for over a year and is close to meeting its net-zero
design target. Technological glitches and higher-than-expected demand from apartment
dwellers’ plugged-in gadgets held it back from claiming energy-neutral status.3 So for now,
they are a “near zero” community.

The City of Lancaster, California, has a goal of becoming the first city in the US to reach the
net zero designation. Almost every public building from its City Hall to the minor-league
baseball stadium is powered by solar. In 2013, Lancaster became the first U.S. city to
require solar panels be installed on every new single-family home.

The City Council is adopting a new ordinance

complementing the town’s existing solar panel
requirements. All new homes will be required to
have solar panels generating two watts of energy for
every square foot (a more aggressive demand than
the 1-kilowatt-per-house rule in the 2013 policy), pay
mitigation fees of $1.40 per square foot to get a 50
percent discount on the energy generation
component of their bill, or a combination of both.

1 Baden, S., et al., "Hurdling Financial Barriers to Lower Energy Buildings: Experiences from the USA and Europe on Financial
Incentives and Monetizing Building Energy Savings in Private Investment Decisions." Proceedings of 2006 ACEEE Summer
Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Washington DC, August 2006.
2 US Department of Energy. Annual Energy Review 2006 27 June 2007. Accessed 27 April 2008.
3 https://redshift.autodesk.com/net-zero-cities/
Bloomfield, Iowa is embarking on a path to be an energy-independent community. With help
from the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Electricity Innovation Lab, Bloomfield identified that they
can achieve net-zero grid electric usage through energy conservation measures, distributed
renewable energy production, and supplemental generation for peak shaving.

Boston, Massachusetts has developed a Greenovate Boston Climate Action Plan with the
goal of reducing carbon emissions 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. Boston has been named
by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy as the most energy efficient city in
the U.S.

Cambridge, Massachusetts has set up a Net Zero Task Force to explore the possibilities for
Cambridge moving towards becoming a net zero energy community.

Georgetown, Texas will be getting all its electricity from solar and wind by 2017 for a very
simple and practical reason: it’s cheaper.

San Luis Obispo, California is the latest U.S. city to announce its goal of becoming a net
zero city, although no timeline or initiatives have been proposed yet.

It is both encouraging and inspirational that so many homes, buildings, campuses, cities
have developed plans to become net zero energy users. With energy costs on the rise, and
renewable energy production costs already less expensive than traditional non-renewable
energy, the prospects of achieving net zero consumption on a mass scale seems quite
possible, and doable by this generation.
FRANK SCOTTI
Frank Scotti is director of marketing at Solarponics, the oldest solar energy company
In Claifornia. Get more perspective about the state of solar on a local, regional and national
level at http://www.solarponics.com/blog/. Mr. Scotti can be reached at
[email protected].