Ameresco is Building a Microgrid on Parris Island

Ameresco US Marine Corps

Ameresco to build renewable-powered microgrid for US Marine Corps Energy Storage, January 13, 2017 Ameresco will build a renewable-powered microgrid at a Marine Corp facility in Parris Island, South Carolina. The project at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) includes 6.7MW of PV generation, a 3.5MW combined heat and power facility and a 8MWh battery storage … Read more

Designing for the Smart Home of the Future

5 Trends for the Smart Energy Home of the Future Greentech Media, January 9, 2017 While “smart home” could probably describe the offerings over half of the thousands of exhibitors spread out across the acres of CES floor space, this section was filled with many companies that are using home wireless networks, connected devices, and … Read more

One Size Does Not Fit All: M&V, EEMetering, and EM&V

M&V

Matt Golden, Open EE January 4, 2017 Billing analysis, Bayesian statistics, randomized control trials, phone polls — with the advent of EEMetering, smart meters, and pay-for-performance, one of the most important questions we have to answer as an industry is how do we measure energy efficiency? Turns out, it depends on the purpose. While the … Read more

Optimizing Grid Investments for the Grid of the Future

grid operators grid edge grid of the future

US administration: Energy storage and other grid investments vital to security and resilience Energy Storage News, January 9, 2017 Energy storage should be properly valued and supported at federal level in the United States, according to a government document analysing and evaluating energy policy released by officials of the outgoing Obama administration. The Quadrennial Energy … Read more

The Transition to a Low-Carbon Future Post-Election

States, Power Companies Lead in Cutting Carbon; Election Not Slowing Expected 2017 Progress EDF, January 10, 2017 2016 was a big year for progress in the U.S. power sector. Renewable energy sources provided 16.9 percent of the country’s electricity in the first half of 2016, up from 13.7 percent for all of 2015. The country’s first offshore wind farm opened … Read more

Identifying Options for Re-Use of CO2

co2-emissions-gap re-use of CO2

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

PACE Financing Begins to Take Off in Michigan

finance-key Michigan

Making energy efficiency projects pay off, right away Michigan Radio, January 5, 2017 The U.S. EPA estimates that companies in Michigan waste up to a third of the energy they buy because of inefficient buildings and equipment. But most of the companies just keep paying those high energy bills, month after month, because they can’t … Read more

A Zondits Interview: The Role of Energy Efficiency at Silicon Valley Power

Valerie Eacret, ERS, for Zondits Zondits spoke with Mary Medeiros McEnroe, Silicon Valley Power’s (SVP’s) Public Benefits Program Manager, about what role energy efficiency plays in SVP’s operations. Mary has been in this role for 9 years and had been with the utility for almost 22 years. As Public Benefits Program Manager, she is responsible … Read more

Has Commercial Energy Storage Reached the Tipping Point?

Jesse Remillard, ERS, for Zondits There are strong signs that commercial, or behind-the-meter, energy storage has turned a corner in regards technical maturity, commercial value, and ultimately, financial credibility. A report issued by Sandia National Laboratories in August says that many sources believe that the commercial energy storage market is currently at the “tipping point,” … Read more

New England’s Largest Battery Project Aids Grid Stabilization

electrification

Lisa Markowski, ERS, for Zondits New England’s largest state is also home to its largest battery storage project, which began operation in December 2016 at the Wyman Energy Center in Yarmouth, Maine. This supersized battery, which consists of eight individual battery units (each the size of a freight container), holds a total of 1,300 lithium … Read more