Katie Robinson, ERS, for Zondits Despite the growing solar panel installation rates throughout the country, there are still many factors holding homeowners back from installing solar rooftop panels. Some fear that their roof doesn’t see enough sunlight or that inevitable roof repairs will be much more complicated (and costly) with solar panels sitting on top. … Read more
Demand Response and Smart-grid Technologies in Supermarkets ACHR News, March 13, 2017 Supermarkets typically operate with razor-thin margins, which means fresh ideas that improve profits, such as participating in utility demand response or peak-shaving programs or selling thermal energy to local district heating and cooling grids to produce a revenue stream, are always welcome. Today, … Read more
Microgrids are a hot topic across the energy industry. New and innovative technologies are advancing energy resiliency. Zondits spoke with Andrew Yip, Director of Business Development for Bosch, to learn more about their DC Microgrid platform and how this technology is redefining energy generation. What differentiates a DC microgrid from an AC microgrid? Today’s building loads are operated by power … Read more
Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, located in Westchester County, New York, provides around 16 million MWh of electricity annually and accounts for around one-fourth of the total energy consumption for the five boroughs and Westchester. Although it produces an abundance of energy, the State of New York has announced that … Read more
McLaren Health Care Center Invests in Better Light CREE Case Study Timing Is Everything When Keith Miller first heard about LED lighting nearly a decade ago, he was Facilities Director at McLaren Macomb Hospital in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Miller figured it was a development worth watching—but simply too costly and not yet proven. Fast forward … Read more
Ethan Forauer, ERS, and Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits The new presidential administration is proposing sweeping changes to energy and environmental policy. During the presidential debates, the candidates did not devote much time to explaining their policy positions and ideas regarding climate change and energy. However, the stance of the new administration has been made clear … Read more
Daniel Pidgeon, ERS, for Zondits With the appointments from the Trump administration over the past month or so, the future for energy efficiency growth looks bleak at the federal level. Despite such uncertainty, the fact remains that many initiatives happen much closer to home, as various state and local governments take matters into their own … Read more
How the World Defines Microgrids and Why You are Confused Microgrid Knowledge, January 30, 2017 Microgrid, mini-grid, picogrid… All this tiny terminology can add up to some big confusion. Even the industry itself defines microgrids in different ways. Microgrids, mini-grids and picogrids have some things in common: they are all locally generated, locally distributed sources of clean energy. Is … Read more
Jesse Remillard, ERS, for Zondits Southern California is becoming a high-stakes testing ground for utility-scale battery energy storage. The energy storage provider AES has secured two contracts totaling 37.5 MW (150 MWh) that will be critical for San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) to meet its peak demands. The AES press release states that the two … Read more
CO2 Utilization: A Look Ahead The Energy Collective, January 9, 2017 Finding ways to convert carbon dioxide from an energy and industrial sector waste product to a useful commodity could spur the development of new technologies, products, and industries while limiting emissions to the atmosphere of climate-altering pollutants. In 2016, U.S. policymakers demonstrated leadership in … Read more