India's first integrated web portal to promote Net Zero Energy Buildings launched

Union Power Ministry and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched India’s first integrated web portal on 27 May 2016.
The portal (www.nzeb.in) was designed to promote and mainstream Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) in India.

Special Features of the Portal
• The portal is first of its kind and provides complete information about Net Zero Energy Buildings that generate as much energy as they use.
• It will help to achieve near-zero energy status through the use of efficient lighting and equipment, integration of renewable energy technologies, and best practice design strategies.
• The portal also hosts the NZEB Alliance, an industry-wide body setup to drive the Indian markets toward highly energy-efficient buildings.
• This portal will provide a wealth of information for policymakers, developers, architects, engineers, sustainability consultants, and academia.
• It will also allow the vibrant Indian building industry to leapfrog towards energy efficiency standards and practices.

Net Zero Energy Building
• A net-zero energy building (NZEB) also known as a zero-energy building, zero net energy (ZNE) building, or net zero building.
• It is a building with zero net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site or in other definitions by renewable energy sources elsewhere.
• Zero-energy buildings can be part of a smart grid. Some advantages of these buildings are as follows:
• Integration of renewable energy resources
• Integration of plug-in electric vehicles
• Implementation of zero-energy concepts