This project will conduct a feasibility study of a thermal Energy Network (TEN) at a specific Department of Defense (DoD) installation to set the conditions for a successful TEN pilot and lay the groundwork for the broader adoption of TENs by the DoD. In appropriate applications TENs offer significant potential for energy and cost savings and enhanced resource independence, in support of DoD mission and energy goals.

National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) integrated toolchain, Systematic Utilization and Processing of Energy Resources for TENs (SUPER TENs) provides a technically robust and cost-effective pathway to implementation of a TEN at a DoD site. Existing approaches for assessing and analyzing TENs rely on disjointed tools, have high barriers to entry, and are challenging to scale. NLR’s toolchain integrates building data management modules with a tool for high-level screening of TEN potential, the URBANopt™ platform, and the URBANopt District Energy Systems (DES) module. URBANopt DES facilitates engineering analysis of TENs through an accessible interface configuring templatized models that can be further refined. This work will demonstrate a replicable and open-source analysis workflow and planning approach for TENs that can be readily extended across the DoD portfolio. The technical performance of SUPER TENs will be evaluated based on robustness of analysis results and the ability to integrate with available data. The economic performance of the toolchain will be evaluated based on the time required for implementation at different stages and ease of integration with existing DoD planning processes. A feasibility study that lays the groundwork for implementation of a TEN at the selected site and defines a pathway toward broader adoption of TENs by DoD will constitute a successful project.

The detailed physics-based models developed by SUPER TENs will streamline and expedite the design process for a TEN, by providing an effective system configuration and control strategies, and required equipment and infrastructure capacities. SUPER TENs fully account for the benefits of thermal load diversity in assessing TEN performances, which will lower capital costs for implementation by eliminating unnecessary over-sizing of equipment and infrastructure. It is estimated that DoD’s incremental investment in a feasibility study with SUPER TENs, relative to one conducted with conventional design approaches, will pay back in the first 3-5 years of a TEN’s operation. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2028)