Throughout Wisconsin, bold and innovative projects are taking place to create buildings that have zero net emissions.These buildings work to save communities power, property owners money, and prevent excess pollution from tainting the environment. A zero-energy building, also known as a zero net energy (ZNE) building, is a building that offsets its energy consumption with an equivalent amount of annual on-site renewable energy generation.These buildings provide the same essential services as their energy consuming counterparts, while contributing far less to overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere. In the United States and European Union, traditional buildings are major contributors of GHG’s, producing almost 40% of total emissions. As we continue the relentless assault on our planet’s health with our bombardment of GHG emissions into the atmosphere, ZNE buildings stand as a practical means of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and our total emissions.
Outagamie County Regional Airport (ATW) in Appleton, Wisconsin became the nation's first ZNE airport after the construction of a new general aviation terminal. The new terminal will consume only 54,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually (⅓ the amount of traditional hubs) and produce energy on-site using an array of 25-kilowatt solar photovoltaic panels. Any excess energy consumed by the airport will be offset by the on-site power generation, and travelers going through ATW can take pride in the fact that they are lowering their carbon footprint when flying out of ATW versus any other airport. A new standard has officially been set across the aviation industry of what it means to be sustainable.
The Great Lakes Energy Education Center on the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College campus has become the third ZNE building the in state.The beauty of the newly improved educational center is the fact that students are using the center to conduct further research on how buildings that are reliant on fossil fuels can transition over to becoming ZNE. Students are getting hands-on experience studying the intricacies of geothermal and solar renewable energy systems, and are even getting to practice the installation of solar panels in the building itself. Hopefully, The Great Lakes Energy Education Center and the bright students being produced there will spread innovation and sustainable design throughout the infrastructure of Wisconsin.
In July, Wisconsin’s first Net Zero Subdivision was launched in New Berlin. A Journal Sentinel article about the subdivision reported, “The goal behind Net Zero subdivisions is to use solar panels installed on homes to generate enough solar powered energy to match or offset the amount of traditional electricity used in the community. “
If applied to apartment complexes and other forms of housing, the ZNE principle can provide many more benefits to residents beyond reducing their carbon footprint. These advantages include, but are not limited to: isolation from future energy price increases, increased comfort from more uniform temperatures, reduced cost of ownership due to improved energy efficiency, reduced monthly cost of living and a higher resale value as future owners demand more Net Zero homes than are available. Furthermore, the development of the ZNE and renewable energy industry will create reliable jobs across the state, funneling income into areas in need of employment. It would be completely ludicrous to not pursue ZNE technology further after considering all the perks a ZNE building would provide. ZNE technology, especially paired with smart zoning and land use patterns and access to public transportation, walking and biking, could facilitate the climate-friendly transition of infrastructure across the country.
By Harrison Chalnick, Chapter Executive Committee Member