Best Practices to Protect Your HVAC Equipment

By Bud Hammer, Atlantic Westchester

As many facilities are having to reduce operating hours or temporarily cease operations, it is important to still maintain your building’s environment as well as your bottom line. Building owners and operators are actually in a position to take precautions to help prevent spread of infections. When you return to full capacity at your building, the reassurance of improved air quality and facility safety is a must.

There are things that can be done with your HVAC systems to support a healthy indoor environment and help protect against the spread of flu viruses like COVID-19. Here are some recommended procedures to follow while buildings are closed or minimally staffed:

1. Keep HVAC systems running. Even if buildings are unoccupied, insufficient temperature and humidity control can lead to mold growth.

2. Reprogram standalone programable thermostats and adjust BAS/DDC temperature setpoints and occupancy schedules to avoid unnecessary spend.

3. Maintain a temperature between 55⁰F and 80⁰F and a proper indoor relative humidity (50% RH) maximum humidity of 60%– Viral transmission occurs at higher rates when indoor humidity levels are either very low or very high. Studies have shown higher person-to-person transmission levels occur when indoor humidity is lower than 40% RH than occur at 50% RH. This has to do with the evaporation process. Increasing the reliance on outside air can help increase the humidity in commercial buildings to an optimum level to help inhibit airborne transmission of viruses.

4. Use high-efficiency filters, preferably HEPA (MERV 13). Upgrade filters. High-performance filters (MERV 14-16) can remove particulates down to the size of the COVID-19 virus. Filters come in a variety of ratings. As their rating increases, so does the price. Standard pleated air filters entrap larger particles and are sufficient for most purposes, but they cannot scrub the air of bacteria and viruses. Improved filtration may be worth the investment given the great concerns about viral transmission. Supplies of these filters are limited.

5. Clean air ducts and coils.

6. Perform any preventive maintenance now (HVAC, power, and lighting assets) while buildings are unoccupied.

7. Exercise your emergency backup power systems to ensure uptime when needed.

8. Augment staff for increased connectivity to suppliers and reduction of potential downtime.

9. Increase the volume of outside air (OSA) to achieve more air changes – HVAC systems are the source of fresh outside air for occupants. Increasing the amount of OSA reduces the amount of recirculated air through the HVAC system. “Ventilation represents a primary infectious disease control strategy through dilution of room air around a source and removal of infectious agents” (CDC 2005). Replacing contaminated indoor air with fresh OSA is an important step in improving occupant health. ASHRAE is the organization that sets the standards for the HVAC industry. Its most recent advisory guidelines states that now is not the time for energy-saving techniques like demand control ventilation (DCV) that reduces the amount of OSA. We recommend increasing outside air levels to 20% – 40% of the air handling capacity of the HVAC unit. The mild temperatures of spring reduce the energy penalty that this action would otherwise create under more extreme summer or winter outdoor temperatures. Units equipped with variable speed fans can cost-effectively accommodate an increase in ventilation rates.

10. Ensure equipment is in proper working conditions. All of the above recommendations assume equipment is in proper working condition and supply fans run continuously whenever the building is occupied. Commercial buildings should never run in the “auto” mode unless steps are taken to periodically “over-ventilate” the building. It is common for retail and small offices to run fans improperly. Make sure to educate your tenants and facility teams on the importance of running fans continuously. It is established in the building codes and national standards.

Atlantic Westchester (AW) is a commercial Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) company dedicated to making buildings smarter while providing the highest quality service in the industry. Since 1961, AW has catered to clients across the NY metro area with proactive maintenance, remediation and installation services based on their unique facility needs. Our professional, well-trained team works as a trusted partner to provide our clients with intelligent, energy-efficient solutions that optimize building performance, lower operating costs, and improve comfort. For more information, AW’s website is: https://www.atlanticwestchester.com/ or contact Ms. Cathy Hoffman at choffman@atlanticwestchester.com or at 914.666.2268.

The Pandemic’s Effects on the Energy Efficiency Sector

The COVID-19 pandemic is, of course, having a tremendous impact across the U.S. One hundred thousand or more will likely perish and tens of millions will have lost their jobs or had their businesses greatly weakened – including those in the energy sector.

1. Most companies are not thinking about energy right now. Of course, any company’s main concerns these days will be the health and safety of themselves and their employees, making sure technologies work so people can work from home, and maintaining their systems if they are allowed to function. Nobody is thinking about energy and upgrades and how to save usage and cost.

2. No or few site visits. Most companies and buildings that were seriously looking at energy upgrades are not going through with them. Many contractors are prohibited from or do not want to work in places where health is unsure. Many energy firms have had business losses “overnight” and have had to lay off staff.

3. Lack of capital. Potential customers for energy efficiency upgrades will be hard put to find the money to pay for potential projects – even if they understand the many benefits. The pandemic has put the U.S. in a recession, meaning there is less money available for projects and businesses looking to rebound will focus on projects with immediate paybacks or ways to re-attract their customer base. The many business failures probably will mean reduced revenue for many utilities and governments, meaning less money available for incentive programs. The good news is that the potential follow up to the CARES package is rumored to contain stimulus provisions for energy. Plus, several states want energy efficiency to be part of their recoveries, as well, as they understand that energy efficiency is one way to benefit businesses (help them reduce costs).

4. Losing motivation.  There is a concern that society will lose its motivation for energy management and sustainability as more data is published that the new recession and lockdown situation has caused traffic, power demand and green-house gas emissions to decline rapidly. Of course, a need for energy efficiency may return if people will return to our previous high consumption lifestyle.

5. Real estate changes.  We simply don’t know what the future of the workplace and its real estate will be, causing businesses to wait until that is worked out to design space more efficiently. People have gotten used to working from home and using video conferencing. When the lockdowns end, will businesses move to smaller spaces, encouraging staff to continue to work from home? Or might they wish to move into larger spaces to enable greater distances between employees as we continue to have social distancing at least until the virus is completely controlled? Until businesses decide on these trends (likely, many months or years), companies may be hesitant to invest in energy efficiency.

However, there are factors that favor a robust comeback of the energy efficiency sector.

1. Energy efficiency will be critical for businesses making a comeback. For most such businesses, it will be hard to bring back staff, make one’s product, get back customers, etc. Sales may lag for some time, even when lockdowns are lifted. Thus, it will be more important than ever for a company to lower costs, one of the greatest ones being energy. As long as energy projects are seen as financially beneficial with a short payback, it will be important for a business trying to come back to reduce regular costs, and energy efficiency meets this.

2. Prepare for the next “big thing”.  The pandemic hurt businesses so much and so quickly, certainly making people realize that one must prepare for circumstances that can potentially change rapidly. One way to prepare is to lower costs and operate more “lean and mean”. Being energy efficient is certainly an example to help businesses weather the next potential “storm”.

3. Climate Change may be the next “storm”.  While the pandemic was caused by a microscopic virus, perhaps the next big effect on people’s health and businesses is the opposite extreme. The changes to huge planetary systems, encompassed by Climate Change will surely cause large-scale death and business upheavals. Of course, the best way to deal with upheaval is to be efficient. Given Climate Change is so linked to energy, energy costs will likely rise significantly in the future, so controlling these costs by being energy efficient and using renewable technologies will likely be favored greatly.

For these reasons, it would appear that the energy efficiency business market will suffer in the short-term, but can undergo tremendous growth in the longer term.

CCES has the experts to help your company develop an energy plan and help you incorporate energy efficiency in your future growth plans to provide many competitive financial benefits. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.

Yes, It’s Time to Think About Energy & Sustainability

As I write this, we are in, perhaps, the most difficult period of our lives. We are mostly holed up at home and seeing how tens of thousands of fellow Americans have died (so far) from COVID-19 caused by exposure of the novel coronavirus and millions of people have lost their livelihoods or had their companies gravely damaged, as a result. It will be months, if not a year or two, before things get back to “normal”, if that is possible again.

But I maintain that this is the time to begin to think about your business’ energy profile and how to use it to your advantage when things move toward normal. The vast majority of businesses have been impacted by the pandemic. Those that survive when the worst of this passes will suffer great losses, possibly in the trillions of dollars in revenue. Certainly, there will be changes in the way business will be done.

What might those changes be? Many people are working from home now. Might it stay that way when people can commute to their offices again? What are the real estate implications of this? Many companies will need to reconfigure their offices. Some will learn from this and look to add more space with the same number of staff (office social distancing). Some will downsize their space as staff will continue to work from home.

Another given is that companies will need to make up for the shortfall of revenue of many months. Getting your product, sales, delivery, and other systems running again and reliable for your customers is important. And there will certainly be gimmicks and other inducements to get customers back.

However, part of the equation for being a viable business again is to cut expenses, and a great way to do this is through sustainability. What can you do to make your business more sustainable, your staff more healthy and productive, and cut back on energy and water usage and waste generation? As you await the end of the lockdown and prepare for your business to operate again, take some time to plan actions your business will implement to be more sustainable, have your staff more productive, and reduce those pesky expenses, by being more energy efficient.

Here is a true story that just happened. In February, I presented an industrial client a proposal to change their fluorescent lighting to LEDs. With utility incentives, the client would have to lay out $6,000, but would save about $70,000 in avoided energy costs in 5 years. What a deal! But they turned it down. They said they would go to the local hardware store, buy the LEDs, and install them themselves; after all, they were very handy. Well, March came with all of our issues with lockdowns and the client certainly did not have the time to go out and buy the LED tubes. The company, like so many others, is still operating, but has seen a significant drop in revenue. They realized they have to react to this by cutting expenses; they have asked for a new proposal for LEDs.

In your preparation to re-start or bring your company back to where it was, give some serious thought to energy conservation and sustainability to give your business a better footing to weather future situations.

CCES has the experts to help find ways to reduce your energy and water usage, saving potentially significant costs for you. We have saved others both cost and greenhouse gas emissions. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Reduced Activity Caused by COVID-19 Leads to Drop in GHG and Other Air Emissions

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have fallen sharply since the growth and spread of COVID-19 as activity from business and travel has slowed, according to experts. For example, according to a BBC report, traffic levels are down by about 35% and carbon monoxide levels are down by nearly 50% in New York City compared to the same time last year.

Closures of factories in China during the outbreak caused a significant drop in smog levels. Air pollution levels in Italy have dropped, too. In both nations, millions of people were kept under lockdown or quarantine to slow the virus, reducing business and other activities. The decline in emissions has been confirmed by NASA and European Space Agency satellites. In the US, where 50% of car trips take people to or from work or school, where so many have been closed, similar declines are expected.
According to https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51944780, by May, scientists predict that GHG emissions may be at their lowest levels recorded in a decade, since the Great Recession.

One area where the business slump will significantly reduce GHG emissions is the airline industry as some studies believe CO2 emissions from air travel may have a disproportionate effect on heat trapping. The severe slump that the airlines are facing would mean significant reductions in their contribution. Therefore, airlines are expected to push back against proposed European climate change taxes meant to address the industry’s outsized effects.

There is concern by many in the environmental field that this downward spikes in GHG and other emissions are temporary and will result in a bounce back when economic conditions return to close to normal. In fact, there may be a major increase in emissions as people “catch up” on lost travel and other manufacturing opportunities. This has been observed after financial crises and terrorist attacks as those reductions in economic activity, such as certain manufacturing, driving, and air travel were temporary and then bounce back. On the other hand, some are predicting that social distancing practices that many are implementing, such as more home cooking, remote meetings and working and learning from home, may gain traction and become the norm even after activity approaches normal again, cutting back on manufacturing, transportation, and agricultural GHG and other emissions in the long-term.

CCES has the experts to help you assess your greenhouse gas and other air toxic emissions from your operations and project future emissions in a recovery or for other changes. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

COVID-19 and Its Spread in a Multi-Family Building

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is the event of our times. This pandemic is expected to kill millions of people worldwide. While not the most deadly virus known, it is very highly communicable, leading potentially to high concentrations of afflicted people in localized areas, overwhelming the health care infrastructure of the areas. Afflicted people could easily face a shortage of hospital beds in their area, as well as shortages of necessary respiratory equipment and overburdened doctors and staff, itself leading to death. Therefore, it is important to take potentially drastic steps to slow down the spread of the virus. For the building owner/manager – and particularly, of a multi-family building – one does not want the building to be the center of many coming down with COVID-19.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) maintains that the spread of the COVID-19 virus can be slowed with frequent, thorough disinfectant washing of surfaces that people touch, such as door knobs, bannisters, and elevator buttons. Many communities have instituted a partial or substantial lockdown forbidding people to leave their homes, with few exceptions, such as food shopping or a pharmacy visit. There is particular concern about these sub-populations who may be especially vulnerable to COVID-19 exposure:
• Healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19;
• Those who have had close contact with persons with COVID-19; and
• Travelers returning from areas where COVID-19 cases are common.

Therefore, building owners and managers should develop and implement reasonable protocols to reduce the spread and keep building staff and residents safe until a state of emergency is lifted. This should be done to mitigate risks and potential claims.

The protocol should require building staff to keep all items, furniture, and equipment that people may make contact with sanitized with the use of an EPA-approved disinfectant (containing at least 70% alcohol). This would include all such surfaces in lobbies, elevators, mail rooms, laundry rooms, bathrooms, or other areas that residents and staff may have access to. Door handles, light switches, elevator buttons, and other commonly touched surfaces should be disinfected often and thoroughly.

The protocol should require or strongly recommend all outsiders, such as contractors, visitors, vendors, and delivery people who enter to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. Dispensers should be placed in the lobby accessible to all. Building staff should ensure there is always soap and paper towels in bathrooms and to post reminders for 20-second hand washing. Delivery personnel should be told to leave the item they are delivering by the unit’s front door, ring the door bell, and then leave.

Signage for COVID-19 is important. They should encourage all persons exhibiting symptoms of infection to seek medical care, follow their doctor’s orders, and report themselves to the local health department, encourage all persons who have come in close contact with an infected person to self-quarantine in their unit for at least 14 days, and encourage all persons to use tissues to contain coughs and sneezes, wash their hands regularly and to keep a 6-foot distance from others.

Building staff should be required to wear and use appropriate personal protective equipment, such as gloves and masks, according to the job they are doing, as well as to follow written directions for using cleaning products. Appropriate quantities of protective equipment and cleaning products should be available.

Staff should be encouraged to ask residents they see, particularly the elderly, how they are feeling and if they are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 infection. If a resident’s answer may indicate possible infection, then he/she should be encouraged to seek assistance from local authorities. Staff need not enter that person’s unit, should promptly wash their hands thoroughly, and report the incident to Management.

Again, signage is important as a way to communicate these items to residents, staff, and outsiders. Having a written protocol communicated to and understood by staff puts the building owner/manager in a better position to ensure no further or limited exposure to COVID-19 virus, which is better for the health of residents and staff, reduces expenses, protects the owner from legal actions, and enhances the building’s value.

CCES has the experts to help building owners manage their property more efficiently and effectively. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Traits of Resiliency To Help in A Crisis

The ongoing events of the past few weeks about the COVID-19 pandemic made me think about a concept I had written about when it comes to Climate Change but had not in awhile. Resiliency is the ability to address and recover from a crisis or some difficulty.

A word that comes to mind for resiliency is change. Think about what likely all of us has begun to do over these past few weeks. We’re much more cognizant of the need to wash hands, no longer shake hands or kiss or hug, use hand sanitizers, clean your phones, keyboards, bannisters, etc. Even the most antiseptic person among us has probably stepped up their routine about cleanliness. For everyone, this represents a sudden, major change in your lifestyle. And as we see in the news, some people are going against the health experts and not making the necessary changes. Another example is work. So many people will have to change the way they do business, who they serve or sell to, how they make a living and, of course, where they work (such as suddenly having to work from home). How will people show resiliency and change?

Another important aspect of resiliency is perspective, realizing that a crisis that one is in is, although painful, something that will subside in time and allow normalcy to return. When it comes to COVID-19, we are seeing of stories of people panicking, hoarding supplies they don’t need, not doing things that need to be done on the assumption that they will catch the virus and die. Part of being resilient is to realize that the difficulties you face are temporary, something you have to adjust to, but preparing to go back to life as it was before and not panic. Those that put matters in perspective, look at the medium- and long-term future and make rational decisions for themselves and loved ones to survive the crisis and come out better for it will more likely survive and thrive.

Finally, another important aspect of resiliency is listening, listening to information. When one is in a crisis, one does not know who or what to listen to. Well-meaning advice may come from many sources but may not be right for you. The resilient person is one that listens to the different pieces of advice of different people during a crisis, sorts out which ones make the most sense, disregards quickly the foolish ones, and then picks one and re-assesses and re-calibrates and potentially changes the strategy based on results and the future of the crisis. The resilient one keeps calm, listens to many voices, and chooses the one he/she thinks is best, but with an open mind to change if need be.

Change. Perspective. Listening.  All important traits to resiliency, which is the way we can survive the current COVID-19 crisis and future Climate Change calamities in both our personal/family lives and society. Be strong and resilient!

CCES can be contacted at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720. We are there for you.

Air-conditioned Indoor Spaces Increase Risk of Viral Exposure

A majority of the coronavirus COVID-19 exposure human clusters reported globally are in air-conditioned indoor environments, such as nursing homes, cruise ships, places of worship, hospitals, etc. Why? There are two potential explanations. Clearly, people prefer comfortable air-conditioned indoor environments. Being more comfortable makes occupants spend more time in the space and be more social than if they were less comfortable. At the same time, keeping the air temperature and relative humidity in these comfortable ranges also prolongs the viability of viruses. Such an environment allows COVID-19 and other viruses to live for several days on indoor surfaces and in the air, increasing the likelihood of transfer by human to human contact.

Activities such as touching, coughing, sneezing, and talking generate large quantities of viruses to pass through the air and deposit, not only on other people, but also on indoor surfaces which others can touch and be exposed to. One study showed that viral particles expelled from people are small enough, 0.3 µm or less, to linger in room air for several days. Research shows that both indoor air temperatures and a low relative humidity that people favor also lead to long periods of their viability on surfaces and indoor air. This, therefore, increases the risk of infection with a virus like COVID-19.

This corresponds to “well” air-conditioned spaces, such as the typical, comfortable temperature range of 71⁰F to 75⁰F and a relative humidity range of 60-70%. Research suggests that infectious viruses would lose much of their viability if the temperature of a space is raised to 90⁰F or more and a relative humidity of 90% or more. However, such conditions would lead to the growth of other biologicals, such as mold, and would volatilize chemicals, such as VOCs, in indoor areas, which have their own health impacts, not to mention such conditions are not safe for humans, particularly the elderly.

Of course, the most pragmatic solution, as public health experts have told us, is behavioral. Thorough hand washing water and soap and regular face washing are effective in reducing the risk of getting infected with a virus, social distancing, and staying home if one has any infectious symptoms.

If a building is shut down because of the possibility of COVID-19 presence, a thorough cleaning with disinfectant is useful, but may not be the complete answer. While major areas which people contact (door knobs, bannisters, chairs, etc.) should be thoroughly cleaned, missing one spot could still lead to spreading exposure given COVID-19 can survive for days. Building management may wish to consider, in addition to a thorough cleaning, the temporary raising of the temperature and relative humidity to the levels listed above to aid in reducing the viability of viruses. This may not be the complete solution either, as it depends how effective the HVAC is and whether that temperature and relative humidity can be reached in every affected area of the building where people may be occupying. However, this is something to consider.

CCES has the experts to help you in designing and operating a good, effective, safe HVAC system and can work with public health experts to assess COVID-19 or other potential health impacts. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or karell@CCESworld.com. Please act and be safe these days!

Small Buildings Reluctant To Do Energy Upgrades

Energy efficiency upgrades are often at the bottom of building owner or manager’s list of priorities, particularly for smaller buildings, defined as under 25,000 square feet, which comprises nearly 90% of US commercial building stock. According a 2015 report published by National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), entitled “Financing Small Commercial Building Energy Performance Upgrades: Challenges and Opportunities”, owners face several challenges in terms of financing such projects. NIBS recommends that government and other organizations make it easier to obtain credible financing.

Barriers to Energy Efficiency for Small Commercial Building Owners

According to the document, the main barriers are skepticism that energy retrofit projects will actually deliver the financial benefits calculated, financing, and technologies favoring larger buildings. Delivering benefits leads to three discussions.

Building owners, like most business people, crave certainty. While the engineer can explain the likelihood of the success of the retrofit, the owner – not knowledgeable about technology – is naturally skeptical about things they don’t personally know. Also, management usually does not have experienced staff who can review and oversee specific design and building performance vis-à-vis energy efficiency.

Second, management tends to focus first on urgent repairs and delay long-term upgrades. There are not many periods when there is not something crucial pending. Management culture, therefore, is more day-to-day rather than long-term. What then often happens is that management is forced to implement an upgrade because of failing equipment, putting the team under pressure, costing more money, and limiting options.

Third, building management tend to look at investments in the short-term if, for no other reason, their salaries/bonuses/promotions are based on short-term profit.

Another issue is financing which is potentially troublesome for many building owners who often borrow for other types of projects and may have checkered histories.

Finally, most strategies to improve commercial energy efficiency are more financially beneficial for larger buildings than small ones. Since there is a base price for a technology, building it larger or being more comprehensive does not add a lot to the cost, but could be more effective in reducing energy use. Smaller buildings do not get the potential benefit a larger building with more tenants and activities do.

Overcoming These Obstacles

One way to overcome the skepticism is to have the energy specialist come in with turnkey solutions. The company will develop the opportunity, bring in the proper vendors to design, build, and install the technology, and test it to ensure that minimum standards are met. One company that the building owner trusts oversees all aspects gives that owner more confidence that the implementation will be proper and goals obtained.

The NIBS report recommends that government, and, particularly, the federal government, link existing loan and other programs to assist small businesses. Existing Small Business Administration loan programs do not address energy or environmental upgrades. Working with the Dept of Energy, such programs focused on realistic energy savings and upgrades can be successful.

Property-assessed clean energy (PACE) and on-bill financing are options the report recommends. PACE loans are repaid through property tax assessments bills and are administered by government and considered higher-priority than mortgages. On-bill financing programs fund retrofits via utility bill savings over time.

Loans specific to upgraded equipment loans, managed energy service agreements, and real estate investment trusts (REITs) may also encourage more energy upgrade projects. In managed energy service agreements, customers pay an energy firm a set straight energy fee. The firm pays the utility what is actually used and makes money from the difference, which occurs by making the building more energy efficient. The firm takes the risk and the owner pays a set fee.

Understanding the building owner/manager’s culture and pressures will make it easier for energy professionals to propose energy upgrade projects which don’t just make technical and financial sense, but also makes the owner comfortable about success and minimizes risk.

CCES has the experts to evaluate any type of building and develop and project manage energy saving projects with a robust payback and to improve productivity at the same time. We can see projects from initial design and calculation to final. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.

Challenges Remain In Investing in Energy Storage

Everyone now understands that clean energy, such as solar and wind, has so many positives. Renewable power is now cheaper to build and operate than a conventional fossil fuel-fired plant. It is clearly cleaner for a community’s health and emits no greenhouse gases. The problem, of course, is the intermittent nature of the power. Solar produces a lot of power when the sun is out, but little or none during cloud cover or at night. Wind does great, but only when there is wind. But people, businesses, etc. need power consistently. And utilities need a reliable supply to deliver at all times. Storage of excess electricity is the solution to this problem; but storage on a utility-sized level is not simple. Energy storage is a rapidly growing sector, and prices are dropping.

A growing number of entities (businesses, cities, states) are committing to a high percent of electricity used from renewable sources. This article accounts for the many areas in the US pointing toward 100% clean energy. https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/100-Clean-Energy-Progress-Report-UCLA-2.pdf. Globally, one article predicts a 13-fold increase in new renewable power plants just between 2018 and 2024 (https://www.woodmac.com/our-expertise/focus/Power–Renewables/global-storage-q3-2019/?utm_source=gtmarticle&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=wmpr_globalstorq319). Therefore, energy storage must play a role to meet these goals.

Global investments will be needed to upgrade the grid with enough flexibility to account for the variable power generation profiles of renewable technologies, including electricity storage. As a new industry without an affordable, reliable solution, electricity storage does not motivate investors. Questions investors ask is how will an storage project generate income? While charging or while deploying electricity or both? Each plant likely has its own interconnection issues which may affect reliability and profitability.

Another consideration for investors is that electricity storage projects, for now, have a shorter lifespan (10 to 15 years) than that of renewable power itself. How do these technologies age during the lifespan? This can be worrisome to investors.

One more concern for electricity storage investment is reaction time and reliability. If a solar or wind farm suddenly fails to generate power for any reason, can the battery project deploy power into the grid immediately (in microseconds)? And to seamlessly shift back to store excess power again?

On the other hand, there is great motivation among utilities and governments to have reliable storage solutions in place to ensure uninterrupted power to consumers in case of a natural disaster (hurricane or other damage to the grid) and may ensure or guarantee the other risks to have such systems in place.

Therefore, energy storage as an investment opportunity for those with their eyes open.

Investment in electricity storage projects continues to grow, especially when paired with renewable technologies. This summer, a major large hybrid renewable project was announced, a 700 MW facility in Oklahoma, including 250 MWs of wind, 250 MWs of solar and 800 MWh of battery storage. More such hybrid plants or storage technologies added to existing solar/wind farms are being planned.

CCES can help you determine your electricity needs and whether renewable is in your interest and how so. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Community Solar: A New Win-Win Approach

More state and local governments and utilities are encouraging new solar plants to enhance flexibility of sources of electricity and to meet “green” goals. Building and maintaining a solar farm is now cheaper than that of a new fossil fuel-fired power plant, encouraging this even more. A problem that solar developers face – like any entrepreneur – is ensuring demand for the new plant. One approach is the many people who want to have solar panels but cannot have them on their homes because of shading or because they live in apartments without the space. Such people can invest in solar projects to get credit for creating solar power while the electricity generated from these plants go either to their community or certain spots, such as poor neighborhoods or nursing homes to help defray their costs. Such projects are called community solar.

For example, a community solar farm just began commercial operation in in Greene County, NY. The 3-MW solar project is under the category of “community” and, therefore, received funding and administrative support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

In this project, residential and small business electricity users near the proposed project were given the choice to invest in this project simply by switching their electricity to solar energy generated by the project. Such a switch even allowed them to receive State credits reducing their electricity bill. The commitment of a minimum number of utility customers to solar was what was needed to know that the output of the proposed plant would be accepted into the grid. In this case, having the community choosing solar even if each could not house their own solar panels was sufficient for allowing the electricity into the grid and to allow the investment and construction to start.

But this project did not end there. The project also called for the development of 2.5 acres of pollinator-friendly habitat to be planted around the site. In addition, the project included nearly $10,000 in funding to a local land trust to restore floodplain forest and enhance public access to a nearby nature preserve.

Solar projects used to be individual homes or buildings installing solar panels on their roofs or nearby yards. That’s fine. However, solar is and will go farther with this new emphasis on the community contributing together to support the construction of a new solar plant in or near the community and contributing to its electricity mix. And with solar farms now being cheaper than conventional power plants, this can even lead to a decrease in electricity rates for the community.

CCES has the experts to help you decide whether solar or any other potential renewable project is right for your building or company. We can bring in the experts to design the source for you and project manage it to ensure you get the maximum benefits and utility and government incentives. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@ccesworld.com.