The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Green Proving Ground (GPG) program leverages GSA’s real estate portfolio to evaluate innovative, American-Made building technologies. The program aims to drive down operational costs in federal buildings and help lead market transformation through the deployment of new technologies, including solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies. GSA partners with the U.S. Department of Energy—the Buildings Technologies Office, Federal Energy Management Program, and Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO)—to fund projects that ensure a streamlined process for industry and provide the greatest value for the U.S. taxpayer.
Objectives
GPG evaluates next-generation building technologies in real-world operational settings to recommend the most promising for deployment on federal properties. The program supports SETO’s goals to accelerate the development and deployment of solar technology to support an equitable transition to a decarbonized electricity system by 2035 and decarbonized energy sector by 2050.
Approach
GPG issues a request for innovative building technologies each year. Technologies selected are installed on federally or privately owned commercial buildings and evaluated under dynamic, real-world conditions. Evaluations under the program help inform public- and private-sector investment decisions on how to improve energy efficiency, accelerating commercialization as well as adoption within the federal government and the commercial building industry.
Evaluations funded by SETO are listed below. Visit GSA’s website for a full list of technologies evaluated through the Green Proving Ground program.
Selections
Vitro Architectural Glass
Location: Cheswick, PA
Project Summary: This project evaluates the performance of a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) window sunshade system intended for small- to medium-size buildings. The system is a combination of two products: Vitro’s SOLARVOLT™ M2 monocrystalline silicon solar modules, and SolarEclipse+™ frames manufactured by Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope. The system is designed for ease of installation and maintenance, with the ability to detach individual panels without disturbing surrounding units. The depth and angle of the system can be optimized for each project to maximize energy generation and minimize solar heat gain for any building.Yotta Energy
Location: Austin, TX
Project Summary: This project evaluates the performance of a panel-level 1-kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery, known as SolarLEAF, that installs behind solar panels while also acting as ballast. A unique phase-change heat exchange system maintains the batteries at their preferred working temperature range (70-100°F). Module-level power electronics via the Dual Power microinverter is designed to work interchangeably with both any PV module and SolarLEAF. SolarLEAF sits between the PV module and the microinverter input.Rocking Solar
Location: Monroe, OH
Project Summary: Commercial buildings consume 35% of U.S. electricity. The project evaluates the performance of a solar panel tracker system that will increase commercial rooftop solar PV production by adapting a proven utility tracking technology with a new low-profile rocker design that reduces friction, motor size, and the cost of sun-tracking. Rocking Solar competed in Round 4 of the American-Made Solar Prize and was selected as a finalist for its tracker system.EV ARC™ by Beam
Location: San Diego, CA
Project Summary: The EV ARC™ is a transportable, solar powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station that fits in a standard parking space. It integrates several options for battery storage and offers multiple EV charging options with the option to integrate on or off the grid. The EV ARC™ can stay in place indefinitely to provide routine EV charging. This selection is part of the Applied Innovation Learning Lab (AILL), a new program launched by GSA in FY22 and run through the GPG program to create EV hubs and test EV tech across the nation.
Learn more about SETO’s other funding programs.