Building Efficiency

Nokia will reuse the heat energy AI workloads produce while delivering digital services to supply high quality thermal energy that can be used directly for building heating, cooling, and/or thermal energy storage. The proposed technology will pursue a low-cost, passive, ultra-reliable, high-performance, two-phase cooling philosophy from chip to room scale. The team will rearchitect the computing infrastructure for secondary use as a valuable heat source in heat reuse applications with minimal supporting infrastructure.

InventWood proposes to develop and manufacture lightweight 3D wood corrugated honeycomb structures to replace metal counterparts. Compared with widely used aluminum, 3D wood has similar mechanical strength, possesses one-third the density and one-fourteenth the cost, and reduces CO2 emissions by 90% in its manufacture.

The Texas A&M University team will develop a testing protocol and simulation suite for assessing the performance of advanced occupancy sensors. The testing protocol and simulation suite will address eight levels of building/occupant scenario diversity: 1) occupant profile, 2) building type and floor plan, 3) sensor type, 4) HVAC controls and modes (e.g., temperature and/or ventilation setback), 5) functional testing diversity, 6) deployment diversity (e.g., sensor location), 7) software diversity (e.g., computation at local vs.

Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and its partners are developing a low-cost, transparent thermal barrier, consisting of a polymer aerogel, to improve insulation in single-pane windows. The proposed high-performance thermal barrier is anticipated to achieve ultra-low thermal conductivity, while offering mechanical robustness and the visual appearance of clear glass. Additionally, the thermal barrier’s synthesis is scalable and thus amenable to high volume manufacturing.

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) with its partners will develop a transparent nanofoam polymer that can be incorporated into a window film/coating for single-pane windows. The transparent polymer-nanoparticle composite will be applied to glass, and will improve the thermal insulation and the soundproofing of a window. Key to this technology is the generation of small and hollow nanometer-sized particles with thin shells. These will be embedded in a polymer with a carefully controlled structure and uniform dispersal of nanoshells in the polymer matrix.

Aspen Aerogels and its partners will develop a cost-effective, silica aerogel-insulated windowpane to retrofit single-pane windows. Silica aerogels are well-known, highly porous materials that are strongly insulating, resisting the flow of heat. The team will advance their silica aerogels to have a combination of high visible light transmittance, low haze, and low thermal conductivity. The team's design consists of an aerogel sheet sandwiched between two glass panes to make a double glazed pane.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and its partners are creating a highly transparent, multilayer window film that can be applied onto single-pane windows to improve thermal insulation, soundproofing, and condensation resistance. The ORNL film combines four layers. Low-cost, nanoporous silica will be used to improve thermal insulation. A layer of a sound-absorbing polymer, which is commonly applied to windows for soundproofing, will be added between the silica sheets to reduce outside noise infiltration. A final outside superhydrophobic coating layer will minimize the condensation.

SRI International, in collaboration with its partners will develop a transparent, adhesive film that can be easily applied to single-pane windows to reduce heat loss from warm rooms during cold weather. The team proposes an entirely new approach to thermal barriers and will develop a new class of non-porous materials that use nanoparticles to reflect heat and provide superior thermal insulation. Moreover, the transparent film does not block visible light, meaning that the coating allows light to transmit through the window and brighten the interior.

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) will develop a polymer-based thermal insulating film that can be applied onto windowpanes to reduce heat loss and condensation. The team's approach uses polymer-based coatings with specifically designed structures. Heat management is gained by the thermal conductivity of polymer and the internal thermal barriers. The coating is inherently low-emissivity, and also resists condensation and abrasion.