Think Microgrid, a policy advocacy group for the microgrid industry, released an open letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm today, calling attention to what it calls “the unfortunate impacts and missed opportunities” of the Zero Emissions Building (ZEB) definition released by the DOE June 6.

The National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building is the result of the DOE’s efforts to standardize the minimum criteria it says will enable residential and commercial buildings to achieve the administration’s goal of reducing building emissions by 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050.

The definition requires that ZEBs not emit greenhouse gases directly from on-site energy sources. They must also be highly energy efficient and powered exclusively by clean energy.

However, Think Microgrid believes the definition prohibits microgrids and other distributed energy resilience technologies from serving as solutions to the DOE’s stated priorities around decarbonization, resilience and modernization of the electric grid.

“The definition prohibits any emissions from on-site resources, which on the surface seems reasonable for a ‘zero emissions building,’ but then creates an exemption for backup power and power from off-site resources,” said Cameron Brooks, executive director of Think Microgrid.