Renewable energy in US federal buildings

Abstract

PurposeThis research seeks to investigate sources of renewable energy into the everyday operation of federally owned facilities. The goal is to present comparisons of existing US federal buildings and analyze the savings and methodologies for acceptance of each project for the use of building and project managers within the US federal government or other researchers interested in similar analysis.Design/methodology/approachData were analyzed on several case studies where solar, wind, and geothermal sources of renewable energy have already been integrated in federally owned facilities. The analysis focused on cost due to available data and resources, and its scope was to estimate the potential for success or failure and possible outcomes.FindingsCurrent case studies of solar, wind, and geothermal projects within the US federal government suggest that cost savings are not the sole reason for adopting such technologies. Projects move forward based on additional motivations such as reduced environmental impact, government policy, and in an effort to increase leadership, awareness, and image.Research limitations/implicationsA larger number of case studies are needed to infer trends in federal renewable energy projects. The methodology is aimed at an objective comparison of electricity costs between buildings; however, as the findings demonstrate, the quantitative normalized ratio implemented needs other soft considerations to fully represent renewable energy scenarios in US federal buildings.Practical implicationsKey decisions that must be made in order to get a renewable energy‐building project completed may be facilitated by using the paper and its implications of the need for soft factors to become part of the analysis.Originality/valueThe analysis presented here includes five stages or key decisions that must be made to get a renewable energy project in US federal facilities to award, including criteria beyond economics. Findings support the need for inclusion of soft factors, along with economic considerations for project success.