Workforce Development, Energy Use in Buildings, Electric Grid
Super-GX: Scale Grid-Responsive Supervisory Control for Multiple Commercial Buildings and EV Charging
To address the challenge of adopting demand response strategies in large commercial buildings, the Super-GX project will develop a grid-responsive supervisory control platform that integrates Distributed Energy Resources to improve demand flexibility.
Large commercial buildings typically rely on separate, isolated control systems for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); lighting; and other energy loads, making it difficult to implement coordinated demand response strategies. Super-GX is developing a grid-responsive supervisory control system to address these integration challenges. The project will create a standardized platform that enables interoperability between various building energy systems and supports real-time energy management.
Super-GX will be deployed in up to ten buildings at UC Irvine and Honda America, demonstrating its ability to reduce peak energy consumption by 10% in the summer and 5% in the winter. The system’s open-source framework will allow building managers to adjust energy use in response to local energy supply, electricity prices, and grid conditions. If implemented widely in commercial buildings with automation systems, Super-GX could save 51.3 GWh of energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 18.4 million kilograms, and lower energy costs by $11.7 million over 15 years. In addition, the project includes outreach, education, and training for building technicians and engineers to support workforce development and accelerate market adoption.