Green Scene Killer App
Landmark energy storage bill passes in California.
Energy storage has become the killer app for taking the energy grid to the next level. And with California’s passage of a landmark energy storage bill, which sets targets for utility adoption of energy storage technologies, the next step has been taken to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel. The bill was authored by Assembly member Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), strongly supported by California Attorney General, Edmund G. Brown Jr., and signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bill requires electric utilities to adopt energy storage technologies, making it easier to incorporate renewable energy sources into the state’s electric grid.
On Board
Rhode Island is the first state to adopt the IGCC.
The Rhode Island Green Buildings Act identifies the IGCC as an equivalent standard in compliance with requirements that all public agency major facility projects be designed and constructed as green buildings. The Rules and Regulations to implement the Act take effect in October. “It’s very exciting to me as building
code commissioner to see that we are the first,” says Rhode Island State Building Code Commissioner John P. Leyden. “I think that we are very fortunate in being a smaller state in that we can move things along a little quicker than other states. We adopt the other I-Codes, and so it fits in nicely.”
The IGCC applies to new and
www.greenbuildermag.com The bill recognizes that the amount of
electricity that can be generated at any given time is a relatively fixed amount, but actual demand for electricity fluctuates throughout the day. Integrating energy storage technology will allow California’s electric distribution system to meet and accommodate the ups and downs of energy demand. Furthermore, increasing energy storage capacity would help promote intermittent energy sources like wind and solar power and contribute to an overall more reliable smart grid.
Where housing and the environment connect “Energy storage is an excellent solution
for making renewable energy sources more economically viable,” says Mark MacCracken, CEO of CALMAC and chair-elect, USGBC. “Energy storage is critical as we move toward the use of renewable resources, and Energy Storage Bill AB 2514 is a step in the right direction for the future of our country’s energy needs. … Solving our energy problems is not as simple as just putting solar on roofs and wind turbines on mountains, since solar and wind cannot be counted on to be there when you need them. I hope other states follow California’s lead.” CALMAC is a good example of how
storage can impact energy needs. Its IceBank Energy Storage system employs thermal energy storage by making ice at night, when wind power is most abundant, and using it the next day to cool buildings. The IceBank tanks shift a building’s energy demand from on-peak to off-peak times, decreasing cooling costs by up to 40% and reducing both source energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
CEO Rick Weiland. “The IGCC provides a vehicle for jurisdictions to regulate green for the design and performance of buildings in a manner that is integrated with existing codes as an overlay, allowing new and existing buildings to reap the rewards of improved design and construction practices.” In addition to the
Code Council, cooperating sponsors of the IGCC are
existing, traditional and high-performance commercial buildings. It includes ANSI/ ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 as an alternative compliance requirement. “The emergence of green building codes and standards is an important next step for the green building movement, establishing a much-needed set of baseline regulations for green buildings that are adoptable, usable and enforceable by jurisdictions,” says ICC
the American Institute of Architects, ASTM International, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), USGBC, and the Illuminating Engineers Society (IES). “A lot of the legislatures around the
country are also looking for more green buildings. I think this would be perfect for other states to look at to see if it fits in with their code adoptions,” Leyden says.
October 2010 GreenBuilder 13
Photo: Courtesy
FreeFoto.com
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