Mar. 22, 2016

Unique $25M partnership has led to the implementation of energy-saving technologies that will be tested and validated to ensure greater energy efficiency for commercial buildings around the world.
In support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s high-tech economic and clean energy initiatives for New York State, SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) announced that a $25 million partnership with Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Development Organization has led to the installation of a number of cutting-edge energy saving technologies at the 356,000 square-foot “Zero Energy Nano” (ZEN) building, located at SUNY Poly’s Albany NanoTech Complex. As the collaboration continues, technologies including solar photovoltaics, lighting, fuel cells and smart building energy management systems will be utilized to demonstrate pioneering approaches to power consumption that can enable commercial buildings around the globe to cut down their energy usage, both saving money and reducing pollution.

“Governor Cuomo’s leadership has made New York State a pioneer in clean energy-focused technologies through such efforts as his Reforming the Energy Vision initiative, and SUNY Poly is proud to support the governor’s goals of a sustainable future by marking this milestone in this cutting-edge partnership with NEDO as it provides a powerful platform for the demonstration of innovative energy systems,” said Dr. Pradeep Haldar, Vice President of Entrepreneurship Innovation and Clean Energy Programs at SUNY Poly. “By utilizing SUNY Poly’s advanced facilities to optimize clean energy generation in partnership with NEDO, Shimizu Corp., NYSERDA, and EYP, we are laying the groundwork for the adoption of technologies that can transform the way we think about buildings and decrease the amount of energy they require.”

“We are thrilled to commemorate this important collaboration, which is part of our international strategy to provide our partners with the ability to accelerate energy efficiency solutions,” said Ichiro Tsubota, Director General of the Energy Conservation Technology Department, NEDO. “Being able to make use of SUNY Poly’s ZEN building as a proving ground for innovative technologies will further enable NEDO’s state-of-the-art equipment to be deployed for the establishment of next-generation zero energy buildings for a more sustainable development path.”

The global partnership, first announced by Governor Cuomo in September 2014, includes SUNY Poly; New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan’s largest public research and development management organization which is operating through engineering firm Shimizu Corporation; the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA); and design firm EYP. Together, this public-private partnership is leveraging SUNY Poly’s ZEN building, which will be one of the largest mixed-use, zero energy facilities in the world, to install, commission, and provide a test-bed for ultra-high energy efficient technologies, including Smart Building Energy Management Systems (Smart BEMS), smart lighting that automatically adjusts in real-time to the environment, a photovoltaic power generating system, and a phosphoric-acid fuel cell, among others that can then be implemented in buildings around the world. As these technologies are proven to reduce energy loads and optimize onsite energy generating opportunities, the results will be widely disseminated to maximize their potential impact, and the technologies can be commercialized to further contribute to the development of energy efficient buildings, or groups of buildings, in New York State and beyond.

To showcase these clean-energy-based research, development, and commercialization efforts, SUNY Poly hosted a workshop featuring representatives of the major project partners and other organizations, including representatives from Shimizu Corp., NYSERDA, EYP/The Weidt Group, National Grid, and the New York Power Authority, who discussed building successful public/private partnerships, exploring emerging technologies, tools, and processes in net-zero building design, and offered attendees insight on integration of existing or planned policies at the state, national, and international level. Additionally, a ZEN building tour provided attendees with the chance to see a number of installed technologies first-hand and learn about how each will provide researchers with numerous data points that can be used to gauge and enhance their efficacy.

John B. Rhodes, President and CEO of NYSERDA, said, “Increasing energy efficiency is a key goal of Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision to curb greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the strain on the state’s energy system. The innovative, energy-saving technologies used in the ZEN building are a great example of how New York’s strategic energy investments are supporting business growth and development, and will help the state achieve a clean energy future.”
As part of the collaboration, NEDO has entrusted Shimizu Corporation, a globally recognized architectural, civil engineering and general contracting firm, with implementation of NEDO’s day-to-day work related to the project. SUNY Poly is jointly collaborating with NEDO and Shimizu to install and integrate the technology at the ZEN building, and they will continue to work closely with EYP, the designer of the ZEN building and a global provider of comprehensive building design, research, and related consulting services.

Tom Birdsey, President & CEO of EYP said, “EYP is thrilled to play a key role in this first-of-its-kind international partnership to enable the high-performance design that is expected to achieve 21st Century progress. Projects like the ZEN building provide an exciting opportunity for us to take advantage of leading-edge technologies to transform the basic buildings of today into active, high-tech energy stewards of the future to assist with tackling the energy challenges that we face.”
SUNY Poly’s ZEN building was designed to generate much of the energy that it uses each year. It houses the New York State Data Center and serves as an international showpiece and “living laboratory” for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies while also providing a platform for the analysis of the impacts of sustainable design. The smart use of energy is critical for a wide variety of building tenants and stakeholders who rely on SUNY Poly’s ecosystem for innovation-based educational, research, and workforce training opportunities.