Oak Ridge National
Laboratory's Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy (AMIE) demonstration
connects a
3D-printed building and vehicle to showcase a new approach to energy use,
storage and
consumption. Photo by Carlos Jones
(September 23, 2015) A
research demonstration unveiled today at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge
National Laboratory combines clean energy technologies into a 3D-printed
building and vehicle to showcase a new approach to energy use, storage and
consumption.
The Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy (AMIE)
demonstration, displayed at DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy Industry Day event, is a model for energy-efficient systems that link
buildings, vehicles and the grid.
An ORNL team worked with industrial partners to manufacture
and connect a natural-gas-powered hybrid electric vehicle with a solar-powered
building to create an integrated energy system. Power can flow in either
direction between the vehicle and building through a lab-developed wireless
technology. The approach allows the car to provide supplemental power to the
210-square-foot house when the sun is not shining. Watch an animation of the
energy flow here: https://youtu.be/afITvjudnoc.
The demonstration also showcases additive manufacturing's
rapid prototyping potential in architecture and vehicle design; the car and
house both were built using large-scale 3D printers.
The 38x12x13-foot building was designed by architecture firm
Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) through the University of Tennessee-ORNL
Governor’s Chair for Energy and Urbanism. It was assembled by Clayton Homes,
the nation’s largest builder of manufactured housing. Connecting the house to
the 3D-printed vehicle demonstrates the concept of integrating two energy
streams, buildings and transportation, which typically operate independently.
“Working together, we designed a building that innovates
construction and building practices and a vehicle with a long enough range to
serve as a primary power source,” said ORNL’s Roderick Jackson, who led the
AMIE demonstration project. “Our integrated system allows you to get multiple
uses out your vehicle.”