An Adaptable Net Zero Model to Accelerate Achieving Global Climate Targets: A Monitored Case Study

Abstract

With increased efforts toward planning for climate change mitigation and the design of carbon neutral and Net Zero (NZ), this study addresses five key barriers in achieving the targets: (1) the lack of consensus in the existing NZ definitions, which creates uncertainties and causes delays in actions; (2) the main focus of current definitions on buildings, while disregarding community power systems and energy use in transport sectors; (3) quantifying energy use reduction approaches; (4) obtaining measured data to track the NZ progress; and (5) verifying NZ achievements. Numerous definitions of NZ currently exist and a modification is needed to clearly show which definition was used. This research proposes an adaptable (NZX%ORG) model to enable global understanding and standardized concepts that are applicable to different regions and requirements and enhance the reporting of NZ. The NZX%(ORG) model focuses on balancing on-site energy demand with renewable supply in buildings at a community level. The ‘X%’ presents the fraction of renewable energy to the total energy used, and “ORG” stands for the organization’s NZ definition that projects choose to follow. A case study of the Serenbe community in Georgia, US was analyzed to quantify the impact of energy efficiency measures and renewables on its energy performance and verify its NZ achievements. The results showed that Serenbe could generate 80% of its total energy from renewables. Assuming that the project uses the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s NZ definition and generates, then Serenbe could become NZ80%(EPA). As a project adds renewable sources, their rating increases toward NZ100%(ORG). With this plan, the projects are required to have publicly available reports to show committed NZ plans, the energy performance, and the percent of renewable energy used. The NZX%(ORG) model is adaptable to different regions and requirements to enable projects to achieve and communicate their NZ achievements. The NZX%(ORG) and total consumption for each project could then be aggregated to report the successes of cities and nations.