Demonstrating climate value of real-time building operations: Stanford as a living lab

Most building operations today are optimized for cost and energy consumption, while decarbonization efforts often focus on infrastructure upgrades, efficiency improvements, or demand response events. However, the carbon intensity of grid energy varies significantly over the course of the day, creating a largely untapped opportunity for real-time, operational emissions reductions.

This project uses the Stanford campus as a living laboratory to demonstrate how real-time building and district energy operations can reduce emissions by aligning energy use with cleaner electricity on the grid. By incorporating hourly carbon signals into operational decision-making, the project enables energy systems to respond dynamically to cleaner periods on the grid.

The project will deliver an open, data-driven framework, along with tools and guidance to support adoption by campuses, utilities, and large institutions. The approach is modular and can be applied to any available flexible asset, from individual building HVAC systems to thermal storage or district energy systems, enabling organizations to adopt carbon-aware operations using their existing infrastructure.