Quick Energy Efficiency News…Where to Test Your Bright Ideas for Smart Cities…Pepco Energy Strikes Big Military Deal

Feb. 18, 2016
Here’s a chance to see what’s ahead for smart cities when it comes to lighting. Powertech and Current have teamed to create an Intelligent Cities innovation lab at Powertech’s research campus in British Columbia.

Here’s a chance to see what’s ahead for smart cities when it comes to lighting. Powertech and Current have teamed to create an Intelligent Cities innovation lab at Powertech’s research campus in British Columbia.

The lab will quickly prototype and validate of technologies for high-priority use cases. It will explore smart lighting, sensors, analytics and a real-time monitoring network. Researchers will test the latest connected municipal solutions and give city leaders a place to see and experience intelligent technologies firsthand.

Current, powered by GE, will be the first on display. It features software and sensor-enabled LED lighting powered by Predix, GE’s cloud-based platform for the Industrial Internet. This is the kind of technology that takes the hassle out of parking. Networked LED street lights will have the ability to direct drivers to available spaces with the help of built-in sensors and wireless transceivers. The same street light could serve as a sensor and give warnings in the event of severe weather or other event or help manage traffic and offer residents a faster route home, according to the companies.

The lab will be located in Surry, a community already known for its energy smarts.

“As one of the top seven intelligent communities in the world as named by the Intelligent Communities Forum, Surrey has created a multifaceted program that will leverage a smart infrastructure to save energy and taxpayer dollars,” says Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner. “We believe that the Intelligent City Accelerator at Powertech Labs will help us go further in understanding how truly intelligent infrastructure can advance our sustainability goals, increase public safety and improve services to the public, and help accelerate intelligent visions in other communities as well.”

***

Pepco Energy Services has won a 60-building, $80.4 million energy savings performance contract with the United States Navy at Naval Station Great Lakes (NSGL).

The deal includes a $42.4 million investment in new energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems.

The energy conservation measures include new LED technology, water conservation, building envelope improvements, 3,000 tons of new cooling capacity, 2.7 MW in solar hybrid systems, new HVAC systems, and retro-commissioning of HVAC systems, among others.  In addition to improving 60 buildings, Pepco Energy services will work on a landfill and roadway lighting systems.

Upon completion of construction, the project is expected to generate about $4 million per year in guaranteed energy savings and $79.9 million during the 16.5-year performance period of the task order. Construction is expected to be completed over a two-year period during which time the project will provide another $1.8 million in guaranteed savings to the Navy.

The project also is expected to reduce energy usage at NSGL by 146,500 equivalent MMBtu per year. This is comparable to removing 1,600 cars from the road or planting 2,200 acres of trees.

Energy Efficiency Markets LinkedIn Group is growing! Join in the discussion.

About the Author

Elisa Wood | Editor-in-Chief

Elisa Wood is an award-winning writer and editor who specializes in the energy industry. She is chief editor and co-founder of Microgrid Knowledge and serves as co-host of the publication’s popular conference series. She also co-founded RealEnergyWriters.com, where she continues to lead a team of energy writers who produce content for energy companies and advocacy organizations.

She has been writing about energy for more than two decades and is published widely. Her work can be found in prominent energy business journals as well as mainstream publications. She has been quoted by NPR, the Wall Street Journal and other notable media outlets.

“For an especially readable voice in the industry, the most consistent interpreter across these years has been the energy journalist Elisa Wood, whose Microgrid Knowledge (and conference) has aggregated more stories better than any other feed of its time,” wrote Malcolm McCullough, in the book, Downtime on the Microgrid, published by MIT Press in 2020.

Twitter: @ElisaWood

LinkedIn: Elisa Wood

Facebook:  Microgrids

In the Race to 100% Renewable Energy, Islands Will Win — With the Right Grid Improvements

March 18, 2024
Looked at individually, islands are often overlooked as unimportant players on the global economic stage. Smaller geographies, smaller communities, fewer resources, and often ...

MGK_MesaWPCover_2021-09-07_8-14-03
MGK_MesaWPCover_2021-09-07_8-14-03
MGK_MesaWPCover_2021-09-07_8-14-03
MGK_MesaWPCover_2021-09-07_8-14-03
MGK_MesaWPCover_2021-09-07_8-14-03

6 Reasons Why Natural Gas is a Distributed Energy Source Bridging Solution

Many experts predict a windfall for the renewable energy industry as companies strive to meet their stated goals by 2035, 2040, or even 2050. But a new white paper from Mesa Solutions...