U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Building Technologies Program – Commercial Buildings

On-Site Renewable Energy

Buildings designed using the whole building approach and that incorporate energy-efficient building components and appliances use much less electricity than conventional buildings. Other ways to reduce a building's environmental and carbon footprint are to purchase utility-provided green power or to generate clean energy onsite.

To maximize economic and environmental benefits generating energy onsite should only be considered once a building has implemented all available energy-saving measures. This section discusses various renewable energy options:

• Cooling, heating, and power systems
• Distributed energy systems
• Fuel cells
• Green power
• Photovoltaic systems
• Wind energy