Zero Net Energy - May 6, 2026

Massachusetts Building Inventory [MABI] explore the economics and environmental implications of a variety of upgrades from insulation and efficient appliances to heat electrification and rooftop PV for any residential address in the Commonwealth
https://mabi.mit.edu

Ontario net zero energy house using PV, an air-source heat pump, and a latent heat thermal phase-change battery
https://eepower.com/tech-insights/net-zero-house-uses-pv-thermal-battery-and-heat-pump-combo/
Editorial Comment: Maria Telkes would be happy

China is building two-way charging stations that allow parked EVs to send power back to the grid during peak demand periods
https://restofworld.org/2025/china-electric-vehicle-bidirectional-charging/
hat tip Nik Cruz Patane

A CA community living off-grid for over a year
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-11-24/a-landslide-left-them-without-power-now-they-are-one-of-californias-largest-off-grid-communities
If you hit a paywall, try https://archive.ph/0xgzF

DOE rescinds the Zero Emissions Building definition
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/12/03/undefining-a-zero-emissions-building-harms-consumers-wastes-energy-and-will-lead-to-polluting-buildings/

Sustainability at a Swiss ski resort
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20251215-the-swiss-ski-resort-reinventing-winter
If you hit a paywall try https://archive.ph/7YUbH

Dutch engineers develop bricks which grow moss to absorb CO2, encourage the proliferation of biodiversity, and provides a good insulation
https://ioplus.nl/en/posts/auke-bleij-wants-cities-to-breathe-through-moss-covered-facades
Editorial Comment: Cross-posted to City Agriculture (http://cityag.blogspot.com)

NYC congestion pricing for traffic reduced pollution by 22% in just six months, better than Stockholm or London
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/12/31/wowza-nyc-congestion-pricing-cut-pollution-22-in-just-6-months/

Green Canary Software: "We have distilled years of sustainable design and development consulting insight to develop cloud-based software that provides an intuitive approach to LEED compliance, WELL protocols, and sustainable business practices."
https://www.greencanarysoftware.com/

New high efficiency solar cells
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/solar-panel-breakthrough-renewable-energy-japan-b2948851.html?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-gb

Gaviotas, a long-standing sustainable village
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260331-a-1960s-green-utopia-tried-to-reinvent-the-world
Book: Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World by Alan Weisman

Andijk Floating Solar Project - tracking solar panels over a reservoir that also helps maintain the cleanliness of the water
https://www.floatingsolar.nl/pwn-andijk/

Net Zero Energy - November 8, 2025

The prebound effect
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09613218.2012.690952
Editorial Comment: Urban Solar Energy Association found similar results with the households in which USEA had done solar barnraisings back in the late 1970s.

Net positive Swiss house producing 687% of the energy it consumes
https://www.solaragentur.ch/de/solarpreis/schweizer-solarpreis/2017/687-peb-efh-keller-3115-gerzenseebe

Net positive house producing 817% of the energy it consumes
https://www.solaragentur.ch/de/solarpreis/schweizer-solarpreis/2020/817-peb-efh-brunner-bapst-waltensburggr
hat tip to @N_Schmid for these net positive houses

30 year and older solar panels still going strong
https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/renewable-energy-ecology/old-solar-panels-still-work/

China’s Green Leap Outward: The rapid scale-up of overseas Chinese clean-tech manufacturing investments
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64ca7e081e376c26a5319f0b/t/68c09417468c2975452a39d1/1757451287251/PB+-11+China+Low+Carbon+FDI-vf.pdf

Fuel cells for apartments
https://ecohomegenius.com/compact-fuel-cells-for-apartments/
hat tip to Brenda Loew

Netherlands’ net zero energy stadium using recycled electric car batteries
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2018/07/netherlands-football-johan-cruijff-stadium-electric-car-batteries/
hat tip to Mike Hudema

Koch Industries is installing solar at their refineries in Minnesota and Texas
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1555611728537618
https://x.com/JessePeltan/status/1977812144348402099/photo/1

Electric school buses to grid
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/10/17/electric-school-buses-are-just-better-than-diesel-buses-thats-all/
https://highlandfleets.com/projects/
Editorial Comment: A near(er)-net zero transportation system is conceivable using this and the following examples
Barcelona’s regenerative energy transit system
https://english.news.cn/20240816/47b3faa6206247b8b9c79772563a213d/c.html
https://grist.org/transportation/barcelona-is-turning-subway-trains-into-power-stations/
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/09/30/barcelona-is-using-regenerative-braking-to-power-subways-ev-chargers/
Regenerative trains and trucks
https://solarray.blogspot.com/2022/07/playing-with-electric-trains-as-climate.html

Cows may safely graze under solar?
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02112025/cattle-solar-grazing/
or https://archive.ph/6GBJ7

American Solar Grazing Association
https://solargrazing.org/

USAmerican Agrivoltaic Census Report
https://openei.org/wiki/InSPIRE/Agrivoltaics_Map
Solar Grazing Census Report
https://solargrazing.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASGA-CensusReport2024.pdf

Zero Net Energy - August 27, 2025

Net zero energy hotel in Winooski, VT
https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/money/2025/07/03/winooski-vt-construction-hotel-net-zero-leed-certified-parking-garage-workforce-housing/84418222007/
hat tip: https://cleantechnica.com/2025/07/19/whats-different-about-a-net-zero-hotel/

A Vision for Implementing the Circular Economy in the Solar and Storage Industry - SEIA report
https://seia.org/research-resources/a-vision-for-implementing-the-circular-economy-in-the-solar-and-storage-industry/

Swiss carbon neutral complex, good to see the "2,000-watt society” pop up again
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/305533/20240610/sustainable-living-swiss-complex-achieves-carbon-neutrality-geothermal-hydro-solar.htm

Swiss net-positive development
https://www.s-ge.com/en/article/news/20234-construction-openly-net-zero-construction-system

Rooftop islanded solar for quick deployment
https://prospect.org/environment/2025-07-28-far-cheaper-way-to-do-rooftop-solar/
hat tip Cory Doctorow

Solar virtual power plants
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/virtual-power-plants/rooftop-solar-industry-trump-budget-law

Gravity energy storage system
https://www.core77.com/posts/137983/ARES-Brilliant-Low-Tech-Energy-Storage-System-Uses-Recycled-Materials-Gravity-and-Rocks
More examples: https://solarray.blogspot.com/2022/07/playing-with-electric-trains-as-climate.html
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/09/30/barcelona-is-using-regenerative-braking-to-power-subways-ev-chargers/

Energy Transition and Equity: Quantifying Pathways to Building Decarbonization Based on Notions of Fairness [The answer’s yes]
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421525003052?via%3Dihub
https://medium.com/@zoed_46843/decarbonizing-homes-without-leaving-people-behind-5f8a2471900d
hat tip Christoph Reinhart

Framingham MA case study of nation’s first utility-owned geothermal network
https://buildingdecarb.org/resource/case-study-framingham-massachusetts

CoolAnt - passive cooling systems inspired by anthills
https://www.coolant.co/
https://www.core77.com/posts/138186/Architect-Develops-a-Passive-Cooling-System-Inspired-by-Anthills
NB: Termite mounds also have passive cooling and humidity control techniques which can be adapted to human habitation

Climate positive plant in Austria - converting regional forest residues into baseload clean electricity, heat, and carbon removal (CDR), one of more than 30 such plants now operating
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/08/22/syncraft-builds-new-climate-positive-power-plant-in-wallern-austria/

1765 wooden house produces 345% of the energy it consumes due to 2015 retrofit
https://www.solaragentur.ch/de/solarpreis/schweizer-solarpreis/2016/1-peb-solarpreis-345-peb-sanierung-anliker-3416-affoltern-iebe

Zero Net Energy - July 20, 2025

City-scale heat pump for district heating in Esbjerg, Denmark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bIlAkTDw8Q
hat tip Joe Rosenow

China’s Antarctic Outpost has Hydrogen, Wind for power year round
https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1016781
hat tip Mark Z Jacobson

Solar panel recycling in Japan
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0ky4ql8/japan-s-solution-to-the-solar-panel-waste-problem

Fukuoka, one of the most water-efficient cities in the world
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0kxwcd1/inside-one-of-the-world-s-most-water-efficient-cities

Nordhaven district of Copenhagen designed as a 5 minute city
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/dec/10/the-five-minute-city-inside-denmarks-revolutionary-neighbourhood

Vienna and climate
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/13/nx-s1-5339958/climate-laws-solutions-vienna-solar-geothermal
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/15/nx-s1-5400642/affordable-housing-environment-vienna-climate-change

Respyre - bioreceptive concrete cladding and a specialised moss gel making it easy to create green facades that purify the air, sequester carbon, and cool buildings
https://www.gorespyre.com/

Generation of Representative Meteorological Years Through Anomaly-Based Detection of Extreme Events now published in the Journal of Building Performance Simulation
It introduces a new approach to representing climate extremes in building simulation through the development of Representative Meteorological Years (RMYs).
Christoph Reinhart, MIT Professor and advisor on the paper: you can use the same file to predict typical energy savings from different energy conservation measures and get more accurate estimates of overheating hours and peak loads.
Read the paper: https://lnkd.in/dcFnsRyH
Explore the code: https://lnkd.in/dxiA3Edj

From vacuum cleaners to strawberries - Dyson Agriculture
https://www.core77.com/posts/137666/James-Dyson-is-Revolutionizing-Sustainable-Agriculture

EcoFlow OCEAN Pro: A Smarter, Scalable Solar Battery For Whole-Home Backup
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/07/15/ecoflow-ocean-pro-a-smarter-scalable-solar-battery-for-whole-home-backup/

47 kW of PV through solar tiles with a 46 kWh house battery provides 159% of its own power, including two electric cars, to a house built in 1973
Report in German and French
https://solaragentur.ch/files/solarpreis-gewinner/159%25%20PEB-Sanierung%20Villa%2C%203150%20Schwarzenburg%20BE.pdf
hat tip: @JessePeltan

Old Dubai’s ways of ameliorating extreme heat
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250715-how-old-dubais-historic-streets-beat-extreme-heat
If you hit a paywall, try https://archive.md/2g5ht

Zero Net Energy - March 6, 2025

 3D printed tiny houses for the homeless in Austin, TX

https://www.core77.com/posts/135050/Icon-to-3D-Print-Houses-for-the-Homeless

Passive house buildings as a response to wildfires - on CBS Evening News!
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/how-a-design-concept-may-help-save-homes-from-wildfires/

“Homeless” squatter cabin community with solar
https://x.com/kevinvdahlgren/status/1882539641955663876

LONGi Kubuqi Desert Solar Power Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vntwjqMgCaE

The rise of the Net-Zero Dad
https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/01/29/the-rise-of-the-net-zero-dad
Non- walled:  https://archive.ph/ZDDDw
Editorial Comment:  Global heat pump efficiency races
https://solarray.blogspot.com/2024/07/what-i-imagine-environmental-community.html

Net zero 3D printed house from Italy and 2022
https://3dwasp.com/en/itaca-the-self-sufficient-and-eco-sustainable-3d-printed-house/
hat tip Michael Bauwens

World’s first solar-powered camper van
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0kn75cz/the-world-s-first-solar-powered-campervan

Allbirds makes a net zero shoe and publishes their recipe for others to copy
https://trellis.net/article/allbirds-wants-footwear-companies-to-copy-net-zero-shoe-design/
hat tip trellis.net
The international carpet company, Interface, has been moving to net zero environmental harm since the mid-1990s and now produces at least one product which removes carbon from the atmosphere and waste stream.  Their story is at
https://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2024/04/notes-on-business-lessons-from-radical.html
https://solarray.blogspot.com/2022/03/interface-from-living-zero-to-climate.html

Factory-built tiny house kit with solar, battery, heat pumps, and water storage
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/02/09/tiny-house-from-mesocore-comes-complete-with-solar-a-battery-a-heat-pump/

Easy(er) solar battery install from DIY Solar Fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAJByNRCw0k
DIY Solar Power Forum
https://diysolarforum.com/

re:arc - "We work at the intersection of climate action and architecture to support community-led solutions that address the root causes and effects of climate change and nurture the creative reimaging of our social and ecological systems."
https://www.rearc.institute/

“Edenizing”  LA after the fires
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Nc64UBems
from Edenicity (https://www.edenicity.com/) "Sustainably Abundant Cities for All"

Zero Net Energy - January 16, 2025

 East Chinese province pilots extensive vehicle-to-grid interaction

https://english.news.cn/20240816/47b3faa6206247b8b9c79772563a213d/c.html
Editorial Comment:  All electric vehicles, including e-bikes, e-scooters, and other such micro-mobility devices, should be able to interact with the grid as “rolling storage” as Amory Lovins suggested 30 years or more ago.

"Delivering Net Zero: A Framework for Policymakers is a handbook for governments to design and implement decarbonization strategies"
https://www.netzeropathfinders.com/downloads/Netzero%20Pathfinders%20Delivering%20Net%20Zero%20-%20A%20Framework%20for%20Policymakers.pdf
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/09/13/want-to-know-more-about-how-to-design-deliver-net-zero-policy/

Barcelona’s subway trains use regenerative braking to power EVs
https://grist.org/transportation/barcelona-is-turning-subway-trains-into-power-stations/
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/09/30/barcelona-is-using-regenerative-braking-to-power-subways-ev-chargers/
Editorial Comment:  I remember reading in Edwin Black’s Internal Combustion about the Milwaukee Road, an electric railway in the early decades of the 20th century, and thinking that you could possibly plan routing freight trains in such a way that traveling downgrade with regenerative braking could power traveling upgrade without any need for excess power.  Actually, now Fortescue Williams, a hard rock mining company, operates an "Infinity Train” in Australia that never needs charging using this idea. 
https://solarray.blogspot.com/2022/07/playing-with-electric-trains-as-climate.html

A greenhouse over a house in Norway that grows food all year round
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irp_HPzfxbQ
hat tip boingboing.net

Electric wallpaper to decarbonize Glasgow flats - radiant heating wallpaper
https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/10/19/glasgow-is-trialling-eco-friendly-electric-wallpaper-to-heat-its-ageing-homes
hat tip Katharine Hayhoe

Finnish sand battery - It stores energy in sand as heat, serving as a high-power and high-capacity reservoir for excess renewable energy at up to 600 °C  for 10 GWh and 100 MW
https://polarnightenergy.com/sand-battery/

Survey of energy positive buildings
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/12/18/energy-positive-buildings-give-more-than-they-take-leaving-the-planet-better-than-before-construction/

The German boom in “balcony solar"
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/12/21/germany-embraces-balkonkraftwerke-balcony-solar-for-apartments/

NODE - net zero and net zero ready flat pack home kits, designed for the circular economy
https://www.greencanopynode.com/net-zero

Calles Completas - reimagining Mexico City’s infrastructure
https://x.com/eliascattan/status/1808184039108391111
hat tip John Thackara

Rajapalayam, a city of 200,000, in Tamil Nadu, India has a master plan to be carbon neutral by 2041
https://rajapalayamlpa.com/
hat tip Erik Solheim, more at https://x.com/ErikSolheim/status/1876348901092987022

Solar powered street lights, Dark Sky approved so we can see the stars
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/09/18/2948004/0/en/Streetleaf-Illuminates-in-California-Bringing-Solar-Powered-Streetlights-to-Moreno-Valley.html
hat tip Bill McKibben

Net Zero Energy - August 24, 2024

 She built one of the most energy-efficient homes in D.C. Here’s how.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/home/2024/03/05/energy-efficient-net-zero-adu/
This may get you past the paywall if you’re stopped:  https://archive.is/RRil5

Modular passive house project in Brooklyn, St Felix Street Project
https://www.asåsemblyosm.com/buildings/sfx

Neighborhood built to be car-free
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/03/13/we-need-more-purpose-built-car-free-neighborhoods-like-culdesac-tempe/
Editorial Comment:  not necessarily net zero energy building but reducing transportation energy is a missing part of the puzzle i.e. electric vehicles alone aren’t enough

The House of Green - buildings that bring nature inside
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240420-12-stunning-buildings-that-bring-nature-inside

Final Clean Energy Rule for Federal Buildings - "phase out fossil fuel usage in new federal building construction or major renovation by achieving a 90% reduction in fossil fuel use for new projects started between fiscal years 2025 and 2029 and completely eliminating on-site fossil fuel usage in new projects beginning in 2030"
https://www.energy.gov/femp/federal-building-energy-efficiency-rules-and-requirements
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/04/24/u-s-department-of-energy-announces-final-rule-to-propel-federal-buildings-toward-zero-emissions/

"Construction company builds 3D-printed starter home in under 20 hours"
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/havelar-3d-printed-homes-portugal-affordable/

Net positive retrofit of 1945 building in Queens, NYC
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/31/realestate/yoåu-can-be-a-little-different-in-queens-why-this-home-is-not-like-the-others.html?u2g=i&unlocked_article_code=1.w00.gIok.rTLp9LLGewUm&smid=url-share

USA DOE now has a national definition for a Zero Emissions Building - "a building that is highly energy efficient, does not emit greenhouse gases directly from energy use, and is powered solely by clean energy"
https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-06/bto-national-definition-060524.pdf
hat tip cleantechnica.com

Combining waste heat and heat pumps to reduce fossil fuels in a NYC high-rise
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/this-nyc-high-rise-is-using-heat-pumps-and-waste-heat-to-cut-fossil-fuels
Editorial Comment:  Not close to zero, yet, but another step along the way for a difficult form factor

South Australia will be 100% wind/solar grid by 2027, 70% now
https://reneweconomy.com.au/south-australia-locks-in-federal-funds-to-become-first-grid-in-world-to-reach-100-per-cent-net-wind-and-solar/

NYC has largest passive house in USAmerica, 700 units of affordable housing
https://www.senderoverdenyc.com/
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/08/15/new-york-city-is-home-to-largest-passive-house-building-in-the-us/

World’s largest 3-D printed neighborhood nears completion - not necessarily net zero but certainly solar based upon the picture
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/worlds-largest-3d-printed-neighborhood-nears-completion-texas-2024-08-08/
Editorial Comment:  I heard Professor Behrokh "Berok” Khoshnevis of USC lecture on his early work on this kind of process at MIT in 2004

Zero Net Energy - March 5, 2024

 World’s biggest “passive house” office building

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/carbon-free-buildings/boston-skyscraper-named-worlds-biggest-passive-house-office
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/10/12/winthrop-center-in-boston-named-worlds-largest-passive-house/

DOE’s “Affordable Home Energy Shot” and other housing emissions reductions initiatives of the Biden administration
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/10/21/fossil-free-100-affordable-housing-can-mean-residents-have-no-utility-bills/

Cement and carbon black as a supercapacitor and a building material
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/green-tech/a44716956/scientists-make-supercapacitor-out-of-cement/
hat tip Andrew Tobias

"Just over half of Europe's single family homes could technically be fully energy self-sufficient with a combination of solar energy and storage systems, according to a report by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology"
https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/half-europes-family-homes-could-be-energy-self-sufficient-solar-and-storage-report
Report (in German):  https://www.kit.edu/kit/pi_2023_088_energiewende-energieautark-im-einfamilienhaus.php

Flood resistant homes from bamboo
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/interactive/2023/flood-resistant-home-bamboo/
Use https://archive.ph/14gDa to get past the paywall 
Editorial Comment:  this is not necessarily net zero energy building but could be and could also be adapted to the rest of the world, urban and rural

All electric sustainable skyscraper in Brooklyn
https://cleantechnica.com/2024/01/24/a-sustainable-skyscraper-grows-in-brooklyn-thanks-to-alloy/

Geos net zero energy community in Colorado
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/carbon-free-buildings/this-colorado-community-is-already-living-in-the-all-electric-future
hat tip to Jennifer Hill
Jennifer Hill also pointed me to
Kaupuni Village in Hawaii
https://g70.design/project/kaupuni-village/
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/53401.pdf
Living Zenith in Utah
https://livingzenith.com/
Red Fox Crossing in Wisconsin
https://www.probuilder.com/wisconsins-first-net-zero-community
Hillside East in Vermont
https://hillsidevt.com/energy-resiliency/

Building passively cooled schools in Burkina Faso
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/29/we-dont-need-air-con-how-burkina-faso-builds-schools-that-stay-cool-in-40c-heat

Zero Net Energy - October 11, 2023

 National University of Singapore’s College of Design and Engineering retrofits its buildings and develops a net zero urban sustainability program

https://cde.nus.edu.sg/news-detail/cde-launches-landmark-urban-sustainability-initiatives/
https://inhabitat.com/net-zero-program-at-singapore-university-leads-asia-forward/

Türkiye’s 300 year old eco-mansions
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230510-turkeys-300-year-old-eco-mansions

New Forest House - 97% less expensive to run than a home built to 2021 building standards, using 110% less energy compared to a home powered by gas
https://padstudio.co.uk/project/new-forest-national-park/
https://inhabitat.com/net-zero-new-forest-home-is-made-out-of-timber/

CABN net zero modular homes for a net zero community
https://cabn.co/
https://inhabitat.com/cabn-modular-homes-will-be-part-of-a-net-zero-community/

First zero carbon house in California, Malibu of course
https://www.marisolmalibu.com/zero1
https://inhabitat.com/the-first-home-in-california-to-be-zero-carbon-certified/

Clayton Homes is building manufactured houses that meet Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home specifications
https://inhabitat.com/these-zero-energy-ready-homes-are-solar-and-energy-efficient/
https://www.claytonhomes.com/

Houston will have a net energy positive public artwork, Arco del Tiempo, or Arch of Time, a shape made from the sun’s path
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/houston-clean-energy-artwork-arch-of-time-riccardo-mariano-2335103
hat tip Leslie Alden

Growing buildings from fungi
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/07/15/scientists-are-growing-sustainable-buildings-from-fungi-now/

Chinese sky wells
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230712-how-ancient-skywells-are-keeping-chinese-homes-cool

800-unit apartment Passive House development in Newton MA
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/02/business/how-one-housing-project-newton-may-change-way-we-think-about-building-green/
Alternative if paywalled:  https://archive.ph/Z3uqK#selection-1653.2-1653.29
Editorial Comment:  The developer listened to Green Newton, a long-time local environmental group

Building Climate Positive
https://medium.com/the-climate-action-lab-at-wally-farms
https://www.youarethecity.com/
hat tip https://www.treehugger.com/wally-farm-guesthouses-by-kaja-kuhl-7852690

A Brooklyn near zero energy renovation - from the NYTimes
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/19/realestate/sustainable-home-renovation-brooklyn.html

Zero Net Energy - April 5, 2023

 Climate positive residential development in Berlin, Germany

https://www.peter-ruge.de/project/klimapositiv-wohnen-in-berlin/language/en
https://inhabitat.com/live-in-a-climate-positive-off-grid-housing-development/

Senang residential block in Amsterdam heated and cooled with collective heat pump 
https://inhabitat.com/earth-friendly-residential-block-has-new-take-on-old-design/
http://www.m3h.nl/project/senang-transformatie-indische-buurt-amsterdam/

Net positive certified office furniture from Humanscale, certified by Living Product Challenge*
https://www.humanscale.com/blog/humanscale-wins-metropolis-planet-positive-award
https://inhabitat.com/humanscale-wows-with-26-net-positive-certified-products/
*https://living-future.org/lpc/
Editorial Comment:  Interface, the international carpet tile manufacturer, has achieved zero environmental impact after working towards it for more than 20 years and is producing a net positive carpet product:  https://solarray.blogspot.com/2022/03/interface-from-living-zero-to-climate.html

Net positive Brink Tower in Amsterdam, including aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system
https://www.mecanoo.nl/Projects/project/266
https://inhabitat.com/brink-tower-in-amsterdam-is-a-pillar-of-sustainable-design/

A sustainable city for 150,000 in Africa producing 100% of its food, water, and energy on site
https://urb.ae/projects/theparks/
https://inhabitat.com/the-parks-will-be-africas-largest-sustainable-city/

Factory-made, modular net zero-ready buildings from Vantem
https://vantem.com
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/11/25/vantem-offers-energy-efficient-factory-made-modular-dwellings/

Triple Zero – planning a decarbonized logistics facility, aiming for net zero emissions over the entire lifecycle of the building
https://nrep.com/project/triple-zero/
https://inhabitat.com/triple-zero-is-going-above-and-beyond-decarbonizing/

Largest net zero building in Boston, BU’s Center for Computing and Data Sciences uses geotheramal energy
https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/12/07/boston-university-unveils-citys-largest-net-zero-building-geothermal

Regenerative architecture - net zero complex in Yakushima, Japan which enhances the local ecology
https://www.to-no.me/works/sumu-yakushima
https://inhabitat.com/regenerative-architecture-in-japan-is-100-off-grid/

Zero net energy remodels case studies
https://zeroenergyproject.com/renovate/zero-energy-remodels-case-studies/
hat tip Ambrose Spencer

Podcast on designing net zero energy homes
https://propane.com/environment/podcast/2-17-designing-zero-net-energy-homes/?utm_campaign=p20-podcast__aud-etl__str-etl

NREL pilot program for mass energy efficiency retrofits
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/energy-efficiency/foam-panels-can-turn-old-abodes-into-energy-efficient-homes-of-the-future

Zero Net Energy - October 20, 2022

 Becoming and remaining a net zero office building

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/opinion/energy-office-buildings-net-zero-climate.html

Distributed battery systems for utilities:
Vermont’s Green Mountain Power
https://greenmountainpower.com/news/gmp-expands-battery-options-for-customers/
California’s PG&E
https://electrek.co/2022/08/18/teslas-virtual-power-plant-first-event-helping-grid-future/
Utah’s Rocky Mountain Power (and Idaho)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/in-utah-thousands-of-homes-feed-the-grid-stored-solar-power

Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands building designed to generate more energy than it consumes
https://www.unstudio.com/en/page/13592/echo-tu-delft
https://inhabitat.com/echo-by-unstudio-generates-more-energy-than-it-uses/

Sunnova wants to build solar/battery neighborhoods that don’t connect to the grid
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/business/energy-environment/sunnova-off-grid-neighborhoods.html

5 net zero homes
https://inhabitat.com/5-sustainable-eco-homes-built-with-style/

Team Zero helps homeowners, builders, and industry professionals work towards a Zero Energy future.  
https://teamzero.org/gateway-to-zero/

Renovating a 100 year old Craftsman home to net zero
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/09/14/net-zero-home-renovation-washington/

URB - Net zero community for 100,000 in United Arab Emirates
https://urb.ae
https://inhabitat.com/urban-design-of-the-worlds-largest-net-zero-community/

The Line - first development in Neom, a planned $500 billion city for an anticipated population of 9 million
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Line,_Saudi_Arabia

My Biggest Regret Building a Net Zero Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4aqEjIwBwo
hat tip to W David Stephenson

How will future climate impact the design and performance of nearly zero energy buildings (NZEBs)?
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544221027286
hat tip to cleantechnica.com

First NYC condo certified to passive house standards
https://gbdmagazine.com/bksk-architects/
https://inhabitat.com/first-condo-in-nyc-certified-by-passive-house-institute/

Zero Net Energy - August 16, 2022

et zero energy city planned for Egypt - producing more energy AND food than it consumes
https://urb.ae/projects/nexgensustainablecity/
https://inhabitat.com/first-climate-positive-net-zero-city-in-the-world/

Hotels With Net-Zero Ambitions
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/travel/hotels-sustainability-net-zero.html

Net positive hotel being built in Denver, CO
hhttps://inhabitat.com/first-carbon-positive-hotel-in-the-us-breaks-ground/
Critique by James Kunstler: https://kunstler.com/eyesore-of-the-month/may-2022/

Net zero energy renovation at the 2022 International Builder's Show (which is actually net positive energy renovation)
https://www.rateitgreen.com/green-building-community/discussions/example-of-a-net-zero-energy-renovation-ibs-2022-home-tour-saw-horse-design/5804

Solar Exoskeletons – An integrated building system combining solar gain control with structural efficiency
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038092X22003930

Not solar roads but solar sidewalks, bike paths, and driveways
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/06/21/hungarian-company-introduces-improved-solar-modules-for-solar-pavement/

Net zero community center in Toronto
https://perkinswill.com/project/north-east-scarborough-community-and-child-care-centre/
https://inhabitat.com/take-a-look-at-torontos-first-net-zero-community-center/

Seattle Central College attempts “zero-carbon efficiency” in a new eco district
https://www.mckinstry.com/seattle-central-college-to-decarbonize-with-unique-ecodistrict-development/
https://inhabitat.com/seattle-college-will-become-a-ecodistrict-of-modern-tech/

Sweden’s first climate-positive district, Ljusekulla
https://www.skanska.se/en-us/about-skanska/sustainability/h22/ljusekulla/
hat tip: We Don’t Have Time https://app.wedonthavetime.org/

Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex - one of the first net zero energy complexes in LA
https://www.spfa.com/work/obama-sports-complex
https://inhabitat.com/michelle-and-barack-obama-net-zero-energy-sports-complex/

Ithaca, NY plans to decarbonize the whole city through electrification
https://www.greenbiz.com/article/electrify-ithaca-public-private-collaborative-approach-city-wide-decarbonization

VERGE 22 is the leading climate tech event accelerating solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time. Join thousands of leaders — from business, government, solution providers and startups — working together to address the climate crisis across six strategic areas: clean energy, sustainable transportation, carbon removal, regenerative food systems, net-zero buildings and the startup ecosystem.
https://events.greenbiz.com/events/verge/2022
OCT 25 - 27, 2022 SAN JOSE CONVENTION CENTER, SAN JOSE, CA
Cost: $50 - $1,975

Zero Net Energy - March 31, 2022

 Treehouse with "green walls, facades and rooftops, plus water features, natural light, and ventilation strategies to green the traditional office building,” winning an award from the World Green Building Council

https://www.archdaily.com/974806/ronald-lu-and-partners-competition-winning-design-re-imagines-the-workplace
https://inhabitat.com/biophilic-treehouse-imagines-a-greener-office-experience/

Decarbonization During Predevelopment of Modular Building Solutions - report on modular low-income housing
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy22osti/81037.pdf
hat tip and article https://cleantechnica.com/2022/02/23/net-zero-energy-blok-by-blok-lower-emissions-costs-with-net-zero-energy-modules/

McDonald’s build UK’s first “net zero” restaurant - including embodied carbon
https://www.treehugger.com/mcdonalds-net-zero-restaurant-uk-5220187

Net zero tiny home on wheels
https://www.firstlightstudio.co.nz/ohariu-tiny-home
https://www.yankodesign.com/2021/07/09/this-tiny-home-on-wheels-is-solar-powered-net-zero-solution-designed-by-an-actual-architect/
https://inhabitat.com/net-zero-tiny-home-on-wheels/

New Zealand eco-lodge accepts the Living Building Challenge and is a net positive building
https://www.campglenorchy.co.nz/about-us/sustainability
https://inhabitat.com/ecolodge-camp-glenorchy-net-positive/

Cacao Eco Village in Ecuador will be 3D printed from cacao waste, the first of a planned global network of sustainable smart villages — a carbon-neutral circular economy for the cacao industry
https://valentinogareri.com/Cacao-Eco-Village
https://inhabitat.com/3d-printing-powers-carbon-neutral-cacao-village/
https://www.dezeen.com/2022/01/17/cacao-eco-village-valentino-gareri-atelier-eco-village-3d-printed/

Solar Decathlon finalists, all 55 of them (Wentworth Institute of Technology is a finalist in 3 different categories)
https://www.solardecathlon.gov/blog/archives/5989

Net zero energy prefabricated housing modules report from NREL, Wells Fargo, and Blokable
Article:  https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2022/blok-by-blok-lower-emissions-and-costs-with-net-zero-energy-modules.html
Report:  https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy22osti/81037.pdf
hat tip Martin Voelker

The Independent - Austin, TX net energy neutral 58 story tower
http://www.rhodepartners.com/projects#/the-independent/
https://inhabitat.com/solar-helps-make-austin-tower-net-energy-neutral/

Sunflower Village - 3D printed net zero community
https://valentinogareri.com/Sunflower-Village
https://inhabitat.com/3d-printing-is-behind-plans-for-futuristic-sunflower-village/

Fresco Motors proposes net positive energy campus
https://www.frescomotors.com/campus
https://inhabitat.com/fresco-motors-unveils-futuristic-energy-positive-campus/

House Zero - 3D printed net zero energy house
https://www.iconbuild.com/housezero
https://inhabitat.com/this-net-zero-house-is-full-of-possibilities-for-the-future/

Zero Net Energy - March 11, 2022

 No waste, no carbon, net zero home

https://www.acsarchitect.com/baboolal-residence

https://inhabitat.com/no-waste-no-carbon-no-wonder-this-net-zero-home-breaks-the-mold/

Singapore plans a “forest town”
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/singapore-sustainable-smart-town-tengah

Zero Carbon Communities Guide
https://bze.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BZE-Zero-Carbon-Communities-Guide-v4.pdf
hat tip to Robert McEleney

Near net zero factory to residential retrofit in Rotterdam
https://www.orangearchitects.nl/projects/ptt-binnenrotte/
https://inhabitat.com/a-telecoms-building-gets-a-new-life-as-energy-producing-apartments/

Net zero energy fire station and community hall for Onondaga Nation:
"The new firehouse is named Tsha’thoñswatha,’ meaning 'where they put it out.' The aspirations of the Tsha’thoñswatha were: It will be built by the people of the Nation; It will walk gently on Mother Earth; It will be a vital part of the community and draw the community closer; It will be a showpiece and destination for others to see and use; and People will learn from the building and the experience of building it."
https://www.ashleymcgraw.com/fire-station
https://inhabitat.com/onondaga-nations-eco-friendly-firehouse-produces-all-of-its-own-energy/

Net zero condominium complex in Oakland, CA
http://www.modernlivingoakland.com
https://inhabitat.com/net-zero-complex-becomes-the-first-of-its-kind-in-oakland/

Net zero carbon office building in Toronto
https://www.zasa.com/toronto-and-region-conservation-authority-trca
https://inhabitat.com/this-administrative-office-building-features-a-net-zero-carbon-design/

Nation’s first triple net zero (energy/water/waste) housing development in NYC
http://garrisonarchitects.com/projects/the-seventy-six
https://inhabitat.com/nations-first-triple-net-zero-housing-development-to-rise-in-new-york/

Net positive (up to 4X) Rhenus warehouse in Tilburg, Netherlands
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49130995
More on the warehouse and other developments in Tilburg
https://dutchreview.com/traveling/cities/tilburg/new-warehouse-in-tilburg-might-be-the-most-sustainable-building/

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s blueprint for sustainable architecture, Urban Sequoia
https://www.som.com/news/at-cop26-som-unveils-urban-sequoia-a-proposal-to-transform-the-built-environment-into-a-network-for-absorbing-carbon/
https://inhabitat.com/urban-sequoia-is-a-blueprint-for-sustainable-architecture/

Zero emissions cherry orchard in New Zealand
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/01/20/100-zero-emissions-cherry-orchard/

Urban Forest - 20 story carbon neutral residential green building for Brisbane, Australia
https://koichitakada.com/projects/urban-forest/
https://inhabitat.com/urban-forest-is-set-to-be-the-greenest-residential-building/

Zero Net Energy - January 13, 2022

  Ithaca, NY raises $100 million to decarbonize its buildings

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/19/ithaca-new-york-raised-100m-climate-proof-buildings
https://inhabitat.com/ithaca-raises-100m-to-decarbonize-buildings/

18 story tower gets a deep energy retrofit
https://www.eraarch.ca/project/ken-soble-tower-transformation/
https://inhabitat.com/ken-soble-tower-sets-an-example-for-high-rise-sustainability/
Editorial Comment:  Greening the Empire State Building (from 2011)
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2011/9/10/1015400/

WorldG[reen]B[uilding]C[ouncil] Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment expands to include embodied carbon
https://www.worldgbc.org/news-media/commitment-includes-embodied-carbon
WorldGBC Advancing Net Zero Project
https://www.worldgbc.org/advancing-net-zero

Telosa - "To create a new city in America that sets a global standard for urban living, expands human potential, and becomes a blueprint for future generations"
https://cityoftelosa.com
https://inhabitat.com/city-of-telosa-enlists-bjarke-ingels-group-for-urban-utopia/

Passive House 101 - Anatomy of an amazing net-zero cold climate passive house in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbJLSrx-jXI
hat tip John B Hoag

International Energy Agency commits to become net zero by 2024
https://www.iea.org/news/international-energy-agency-commits-to-become-net-zero-by-2024
Net Zero by 2050:  A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector
https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050
hat tip to treehugger.com

Robin Wood - an urban block made of wood which will be net zero in construction and operation, including a micro-forest
https://marckoehler.com/project/robin-wood-making-an-island-together/
https://inhabitat.com/sustainable-and-affordable-urban-block-coming-to-amsterdam/

Build Better Now - virtual reality presentation of green building prepared for COP26
https://buildbetternow.co
https://inhabitat.com/virtual-pavilion-looks-into-the-future-of-sustainable-design/

Ripple House - entry for Solar Decathlon in Wuppertal, Germany
https://teamvirtue.nl
https://inhabitat.com/students-design-a-house-that-revolutionizes-urban-design/

Affordable net zero houses which are carbon negative, harvest 100% of the rainwater, clean their sewage and potentially grow their own food 
https://www.billionbricks.org
https://www.architecturebrio.com/projects-item/billionbricks-homes-self-financing-home/
https://inhabitat.com/affordable-solar-homes-are-lifting-homeowners-out-of-poverty/

MA’s first energy positive public school, the 70,242-sf Annie E. Fales Elementary School
https://www.bdcnetwork.com/massachusetts-first-net-positive-energy-public-school-opens
hat tip to Rudy Perkins

Wisconsin’s first carbon neutral school
https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2021/04/16/wisconsin-s-first-carbon-neutral-school-up-and-running
https://www.oregonsd.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=552&ModuleInstanceID=10574&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=22895&PageID=5466
hat tip to Rudy Perkins