FY24 Request for Emerging Technologies: GSA Green Proving Ground

Introduction The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law No. 117-169, August 16, 2022, 136 Stat. 1818-2090) (the “Act”) marked one of the most significant actions Congress has taken on clean energy and climate change in the Nation’s history. Included in the Act’s goals were investing in domestic energy production and manufacturing and reducing carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), will invest $30 million from the Act to increase the sustainability of federal buildings by testing novel technologies through GSA’s Green Proving Ground (GPG) program. The GPG program evaluates emerging and sustainable technologies in real-world settings and is intended to accelerate GSA’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions in federal buildings. It also supports President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to deliver cost savings for federal buildings, create good-paying clean energy jobs, and help reach federal sustainability goals. Working towards these and other goals, GSA and DOE are issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to obtain responses from vendors and other interested parties on technologies that help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of commercial buildings, improve grid resiliency, and have significant potential for equitable and broad adoption in the U.S. marketplace. This includes, but is not limited to, technologies that support deep energy retrofits, all-electric buildings and vehicle fleets, net-zero operations, healthy and resilient buildings, and building commissioning and control. Overview Buildings consume approximately 40% of U.S. primary energy and 75% of electricity, and are responsible for 12% of the U.S. GHG emissions. Field validations of high-efficiency retrofits, targeted electrification of specific end uses and on-site renewable energy generation and storage can accelerate the broad adoption of technologies to combat the climate crisis and help U.S. building stock stakeholders adapt to new laws and regulations around emissions that are being implemented across the Nation. In addition, the transportation industry is responsible for 27% of the U.S. GHG emissions. The U.S. Government needs innovative solutions to transition a fleet of 450,000 vehicles to Zero Emissions Vehicles, including technology to manage and optimize fleet charging and integrate charging into the existing facility infrastructure. Purpose of this RFI GSA and DOE will use information obtained through this RFI to identify and understand the most promising next-generation technologies and solutions that can (1) enable energy efficiency and decarbonization in commercial buildings and (2) contribute to a more efficient electric infrastructure. Third-party subject matter experts will evaluate technologies selected for measurement and verification (M&V) against quantitative and qualitative performance objectives under dynamic, real-world conditions in federally or privately owned commercial buildings or both, in multiple climate zones. The outcomes of this evaluation will provide credible, independent performance data, thereby helping to facilitate the broader adoption of these technologies by facility owners and operators, occupants, utilities, and third-party financiers. Please see the attached documents for instructions on submitting your response to this RFI.