Microgrid Control System Proposed to Meet Long Island Peak Load Demand and Other Quick News

July 1, 2016
Anbaric proposes microgrid control system in the Hamptons…Here comes San Francisco’s first hybrid electric building…Tesla to dominate EV battery market…Veolia moves to Boston. All in this week’s quick microgrid news.

Massachusetts-based Anbaric Microgrid says it has proposed a microgrid control system in a solicitation to meet peak load demand in the South Fork area of Long Island.

Photo: New York state lighthouse by Mark Jenney. Wikimedia Commons.

Dirk van Ouwerkerk, lead partner for Anbaric Microgrid, wrote about the project in an op-ed article published by Hamptons.com.
PSEG Long Island is about to choose a project winner in what van Ouwerkerk described as “historic decision.” The utility is looking beyond the conventional solutions — central power plants and transmission lines — and is considering local resources like microgrid control systems.

[clickToTweet tweet=”A #microgrid for the Hamptons? @Anbaric” quote=”A #microgrid in the Hamptons? “]

“Whether or not our proposal is accepted, this is an historic moment for the South Fork as it transitions from exclusive reliance on the old ‘macro-grid’ to a new future with a dynamic and constantly evolving set of microgrids,” he wrote.

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San Francisco’s Hybrid Electric Skyscraper

Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS) has been selected to transform San Francisco’s distinguished skyscraper, One Maritime Plaza, into the City’s first Hybrid Electric Building using Tesla Powerpack batteries.

The building will be able to shift from grid to battery power to conserve electricity in the same way a hybrid-electric car conserves gasoline. The technology upgrade will increase grid and building resiliency, and the 500 kW/1,000 kWh indoor battery system will reduce the building’s peak energy demand by as much as 20 percent.

[clickToTweet tweet=”First hybrid electric building planned in San Francisco. #Advanced Microgrid Solutions” quote=”First hybrid electric building planned in San Francisco”]

AMS and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) are in discussions to apply battery-enabled bill savings from the first year of operation of the One Maritime Plaza installation toward other potential storage projects.

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Battery Market for Plug-in Vehicles to Rise to $10 Billion in 2020

Led by Tesla, China’s BYD, and Volkswagen, the battery market for plug-in vehicles will rise to $10 billion in 2020, with electric vehicles (EV) accounting for more than 80 percent of the energy storage demand, according to Lux Research.

“Plug-in adoption is ultimately being fueled by rapidly decreasing battery costs and the success of early EVs such as Tesla’s Model S and Nissan’s Leaf, which has forced a number of other OEMs to make more serious commitments to developing plug-in vehicles,” said Chris Robinson, Lux Research associate and lead author of the report, “Segmenting the $10 Billion Battery Market for Plug-in Vehicles: Market Share Projections for OEMs, Individual Models, and Suppliers.”

“Consumers will soon be able to purchase electric vehicles with 200 miles of range for less than $40,000, almost half the price of the long range EVs available today,” he added.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Lux Research: Battery Market for Plug-in Vehicles to Rise to $10 Billion in 2020. Tesla to account for half of demand” quote=”Lux Research: Battery Market for Plug-in Vehicles to Rise to $10 Billion in 2020. Tesla to account for half of demand.”]

Just six large carmakers will account for 90 percent of the battery demand: Tesla, BYD, Volkswagen, General Motors (GM), Renault-Nissan and BMW. Tesla will account for nearly half of the EV market’s battery consumption through 2020.

Among battery-makers, Panasonic will keep its lead with 46 percent market share, followed by BYD, LG Chem, NEC, Samsung SDI and others.

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Boston’s Innovation, Sustainability Culture Attracts Veolia North America Headquarters

Global resource management company Veolia is moving its North America corporate headquarters to Boston, citing the city’s commitment to sustainability and innovation.

The move markets yet another big energy tech win for greater Boston. Schneider Electric has moved its headquarters to the area and General Electric announced plans earlier this year to do the same.

[clickToTweet tweet=”#Veolia joins GE and Schneider in Boston move @Veolia_NA ” quote=”Veolia joins GE and Schneider in Boston move”]

Veiolia has deep roots in Massachusetts and the Boston area in particular. Its district energy networks serve the critical energy requirements of some 250 commercial, health care, government, institutional and hospitality customers within the central business district of Boston, the Longwood Medical Area, and the biotechnology corridor of Cambridge.

In Cambridge, Veolia operates the Kendall Station combined heat and power (CHP) plant as well as a cogeneration plant on behalf of a major biotechnology company.

In the Longwood Medical Area, Veolia operates and has an ownership stake in the Medical Area Total Energy Plant facility, supplying heat, cooling and electrical power to local hospitals.

“We believe that Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area, with its commitment to sustainability and growing a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy, is a perfect fit with Veolia’s mission of ‘Resourcing the world’,” said Veolia North America president and CEO Bill DiCroce. “The region is an exceptional hub for talent, innovation and creativity, and it has a rock-solid commitment to sustainability. These qualities mirror the future we envision for Veolia as we develop new ways to meet today’s environmental challenges.”

Veolia North America has some 7,900 North American employees, including 280 in the Boston/Cambridge area and a total of more than 700 in Massachusetts. It provides water, energy, waste and resource recovery solutions to more than 530 cities and 30,000 businesses.

Join us on Twitter @MicrogridNews for more about microgrid control systems and other distributed energy news.

About the Author

Cara Goman

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