Technologies
Microgrids Provide Resilience
Microgrids combine single (or multiple) sources of energy generation with energy storage and an advanced controller, making your facility into its OWN utility.
When properly designed with the correct control architecture, microgrids can provide significant savings on your utility bills as well as allow your facility to continue to operate seamlessly when utility power goes down.
These systems are not a “one size fits all”; instead, they are designed for YOUR facility’s particular needs while being easily scalable for growing operations.
Your Facility
While this may sound simple, your facility is the most important piece to the microgrid.
Each microgrid is designed specifically with your facility’s operations and goals in mind to make sure that you get the most optimal performance out of your system.
Solar Energy
Solar photovoltaics (PV) continues to be one of the fastest-growing electricity-generating technologies.
In 2016, solar accounted for nearly 40% of all newly installed electricity sources in the U.S., second only to natural gas generation. It is abundant, fuel-free, clean, and renewable.
Fuel Cell
Stationary fuel cell technology is established and has proven to be very efficient and clean.
Fuel cells produce electricity by relying on the hydrogen (typically from natural gas or biogas) as its fuel source and using it electrochemically, with no combustion and very minimal pollutants.
It is a great option in a CHP (combined heat and power) configuration, which enables facilities to get the benefit of both electricity and heat.
When combined with solar and energy storage, fuel cells can be an excellent addition to a microgrid for providing back up power functions to your facility.
Building Management System (BMS)
The energy of generated electricity can be stored as a chemical energy, mostly in batteries. This is a key component of microgrid configurations and it provides resiliency and redundancy. Energy storage can have significant advantages by helping to lower demand charges, especially when paired with solar.
BMS is incredibly important for facilities that are large consumers of electricity. These automated systems provide insights on how to optimally control your facilities’ efficiency and productivity by allowing you to monitor and control how and when your electricity loads are used.
Controls
As the brains of a microgrid, the controller uses sophisticated, predictive, and adaptive software that continually optimizes microgrid performance in line with your facility’s needs.
Another critical piece to creating a true microgrid function by providing the operation controls that allows the system to operate when the utility is down.
Can be coupled with high fidelity data collectors to monitor your facility giving a deeper insight into your facility’s energy use and even help to anticipate upcoming equipment failures.
Provides opportunities to participate in ADR (automated demand response) opportunities with your utility creating additional sources of revenue from your microgrid.
Building Effiency
Taking building efficiency measures can have two important effects when combined with a microgrid:
- Overall facility load is reduced, meaning your microgrid size could potentially be reduced as well.
- When integrated with the microgrid controller, the controller can help optimize energy use as well as provide opportunities for load shedding.
Projects can include: LED lighting, air handlers, solar hot water, and more.
EV Chargers
The number of electric vehicles is sky-rocketing and is expected to top 3 million worldwide by 2020, according to Navigant Research.
There are a number of benefits having these on your property, including:
- Brand Enhancement: EV chargers are a great solution for those businesses and organizations looking to enhance their sustainability reputation, progressive leadership, and environmental stewardship.
- Increase in Visibility: As the number of owners of electric vehicles increases, attracting these drivers will provide an opportunity for you to introduce them to your business and make them a client.
- Added Revenue: There are surfaces on the EV chargers themselves that can be branded and provide advertising space. This provides an advantage over other properties that do not provide this amenity.
