The U.S. Department of Energy, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have released the initial version of the Spawn of EnergyPlus software.
The government entities collaborated with Modelon and Objexx Engineering on the new tool. Spawn is not a replacement for EnergyPlus and won’t be in the foreseeable future.
Like its progenitor, the new tool performs whole-building energy simulation, but it also targets new use cases in advanced controls, district systems, and grid integration. Spawn supports these new use cases by making fundamental use of coupled simulation via the Functional Mockup Interface standard.
It reuses the weather, envelope, lighting, and loads models from EnergyPlus and packages them as a single model. But it replaces EnergyPlus’ traditional, imperative, implicit, load-based HVAC and controls models with explicit declarative state-based models from the Modelica Buildings Library that are translated and automatically linked with the EnergyPlus model.
By combining models in different configurations, Spawn simulates either a single building or a collection of buildings linked by shared thermal, electrical, and control systems.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Feb 18, 2021
Construction industry moves toward comprehensive U.S. BIM standard
NIBS hosts roundtable to create coordinated program to advance collaboration.
Codes and Standards | Feb 17, 2021
Construction on international sports venues is ripe for corruption
Poor planning, complex contracting, a lack of accountability and high levels of collusion to blame.
Codes and Standards | Feb 16, 2021
Feds may fund removal of some urban highways
Senate bill proposes pilot program to reknit communities.
Codes and Standards | Feb 16, 2021
Bechtel joins international heat resilience organization
Experience designing resilience standards to aid effort to protect communities from extreme heat.
Codes and Standards | Feb 10, 2021
More than two-thirds of construction companies say COVID-19 has not impacted their ESOP
Half of survey respondents say 2020 project profitability decreased due to pandemic.
Codes and Standards | Feb 9, 2021
New Jersey approves new electric vehicle-ready home requirement
Homebuyers must be given option for charging station on new construction.
Codes and Standards | Feb 9, 2021
New California law removes barriers to residential development
Measure removes restrictions for ADUs in urban areas and master planned communities.
Codes and Standards | Feb 8, 2021
Alliance yields more accurate data for rating and certifying systems of construction materials
Crosswalk API offers trusted format to specify and procure healthier products.
Codes and Standards | Feb 4, 2021
2021 IBC requires automatic doors for entrances to public buildings
One door must be either a full power-operated door or a low-energy power-operated door.
Codes and Standards | Feb 3, 2021
Two new International Code Council online code tools released
Offer detailed information about global building code usage and U.S. adoptions.