New York’s Grid is Getting Smarter
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011
For many New Yorkers, thoughts about the electricity grid don’t extend much further than their light switches. This may change soon, however, as major upgrades to the grid are planned that will lower electricity bills and improve reliability.
Taken together, these upgraded technologies are known as the smart grid. In August, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the non-profit organization that manages New York’s electricity grid and administers the state’s wholesale electricity markets, unveiled a $74 million initiative to upgrade New York’s electricity grid with new smart grid technologies.
Backed by more than $37 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, these technologies will improve the efficiency of the state’s bulk transmission system and improve grid operators’ visualization capabilities and situational awareness. NYISO also held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $35.5 million primary power control center in Rensselaer County.
What does it all mean?
New Yorkers will save money. New capacitor banks will reduce electricity costs in New York State approximately $9 million per year by reducing the amount of electricity that is lost when carried over long distances on the bulk transmission system. All told, the upgrades will provide New York with approximately $190 million in annual savings.
Power reliability will improve. New phaser measurement units will improve NYISO’s ability to receive, process and monitor changing conditions, which it does on a moment-to-moment basis, 24 hours per day. Ultimately, NYISO hopes to integrate its smart grid with others across the Northeast and Canada, which could help avoid potential outages, such as the 2003 blackout.
Renewable energy will get a boost. The smart grid upgrades and new power control center will aid the integration of renewable energy supplies, such as solar and wind, into the power supply.
To learn more, visit the NYISO website, read its press release or check out the NYS Smart Grid Consortium overview.
Posted in Cleantech, Energy $mart Communities, Energy Efficiency, Legislation, Sustainability, Technology | Permalink
Community Environmental Center Hosts Symposium on Solar Hot Water Technology
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011More solar thermal water heaters for NYC! That was the conclusion of a symposium on the technology hosted on July 28 by Solar One’s parent company., the Community Environmental Center (CEC). CEC is the largest installer of solar hot water systems in New York.
120 years and one symposium later, solar powered hot water heating systems may finally be getting the attention they deserve in New York City. Since their invention in 1891 by American businessman Clarence Kemp, Americans on the whole have been very slow and reluctant in adopting renewable energy water heating systems. However, that has not stopped solar hot water systems from becoming extremely popular in China and Europe; Germany, according to EarthKind Solar’s Ron Kamen, installs as many as 200,000 systems a year.
Fortunately, New York City may be just the city to put solar hot water systems back on the map for Americans. Executives from Quixotic Systems Inc., EarthKind Solar, and Sunnovations reported that the existing technology functions excellently in New York City’s temperate climate –especially atop buildings that have flat roofs and are 13 stories or lower (the majority of buildings in the city). In addition, building owners and managers such as Peter Bourbeau, of PWB Management Corporation, described how installing solar hot water systems in two of his rental buildings have lowered fuel oil expenses as much as 30 percent.
So should New Yorkers expect to see their neighbors tossing out their rusty old hot water heaters in exchange for shiny, green, solar powered systems? Perhaps not immediately, but progress is definitely underway: CEC is assembling a task force to follow through on the issues that the symposium raised.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Global Warming, Green Building, Other Events, Renewables, Solar Power, Sustainability, Technology | Permalink
Deadline to Apply for 2011-12 Green Design Lab Extended to June 10th
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011We’ve been getting a lot of applications from schools hoping to participate in the Green Design Lab during the 2011-12 school year. And we’ve also been hearing from school who would like a little more time to complete the application. In addition, there is a final NYC Dept. of Education Sustainability Coordinator Training on June 6th at which Solar One will be presenting information on incorporating sustainability into school curriculum (using the Green Design Lab as an example) and we felt it was best to wait until after the training to have applications due.
As a result, we are extending the deadline for completed applications to be submitted to June 10th at 5:00pm. All applications will need to be e-mailed or faxed to us by that time. You can learn more and download the application and instructions at our Green Design Lab site here. Any questions should be directed to gdl@solar1.org and we will do our best to respond within 24 hours. We look forward to working with another great batch of schools starting this fall.
Posted in Education, Energy Efficiency, New York City, Sustainability | Permalink
Green Design Lab In The News & Applications for 2011-12
Thursday, May 26th, 2011Solar One’s Green Design Lab program has been going strong this school year as we have delivered the program to 10 schools across New York City. The program teaches students about energy and sustainability through a variety of lessons and activities using their own school to demonstrate how buildings and their occupants use resources. Students then take these lessons and apply them to greening projects that reduce consumption by bringing together teachers, students, administrators, janitorial staff and parents to effect changes.
Last week, the program got some nice coverage from the Manhattan Times – a bilingual newspaper serving Inwood and Washington Heights in upper Manhattan. The article focuses on our work with PS 187 in Washington Heights where Solar One educators have been helping students save energy as part of the Green Cup Challenge and create the beginnings of a rooftop garden to reduce cooling costs for the building.
PS 187 students load soil into jean planters to be used in the rooftop garden for their school.
The program has been a rousing success and we are thankful to see such a warm write-up of the program and its accomplishments. We are already gearing up to implement the program in more schools during 2011-12. If you are interested in bringing the program to your or your children’s school next year, you can download the application from the Green Design Lab site, or click here to download it in PDF or MSWord format.
Posted in Education, Energy Efficiency, S1 in the News, Solar One | Permalink
GreenHomeNYC Announces Evening Classes for Multifamily Building Analyst Training & BPI Exam
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011GreenHomeNYC has just announced that they are offering evening classes for Multifamily Building Analyst Training and BPI Exams. This course stands out because it is offered in the evening, allowing attendees to attend the classes after work. Andy Padian, an energy efficiency veteran, will be instructing this nine class course. Check out the details below, or by visiting greenhomenyc.org/bpi
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Multifamily Building Analyst Training & BPI Exam
Nine Wednesday Evening Classes, April – June 2011
Dates: April 27, May 4,11,18,25, June 1,8,15, 22
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Get the BPI Certification you need, and still get to work!
If you are an energy professional working in multifamily buildings or just want to learn more about energy audits in multifamily buildings, this is the certification for you. GreenHomeNYC is bringing in one of the people that helped develop this certification, at a schedule that meets your work schedule, so that you can be certified by BPI as a
Multifamily Building Analyst.
$1600 Fee includes BPI Certification exam fee.
A non-refundable deposit of 25% is required to hold your seat in the class – please pay via credit card or check. Additional details available at greenhomenyc.org/bpi.
Posted in Education, Energy Efficiency, Green Building, New York City, Solar One | Permalink
