TRAINI G AND CPD
ENERGY MANAGEMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
THE RISE OF GRID-INTERACTIVE BUILDINGS
Large industrial and commercial buildings were pioneers in utilising smart technologies and connected systems to optimise energy use and reduce operating costs by interacting with the grid. These large electrical loads were valuable for demand response programs.
But now we are seeing a new generation of ‘grid- interactive’ buildings helping transform energy management and deliver greater energy flexibility. These are buildings – domestic and commercial – that actively contribute to balancing the supply and demand of energy, reducing strain on the grid and increasing profitability for building managers.
These intelligent buildings can adapt energy use dynamically. Rather than playing a passive role in drawing down energy, they reduce demand when the grid is under stress, particularly during peak periods.
By drawing and storing power from different distributed energy resources, buildings can treat appliances as potential grid resources. Whether that’s more traditional HVAC appliances or renewable energy resources like solar panels and, increasingly, heat pumps, battery storage and EV charging systems.
Such resources serve both as demand response tools and as sources of excess power, forming a virtual power plant or VPP. By drawing on the available energy sources, a VPP can provide both flexibility and efficiency to operators and customers.
Smart buildings and connected homes are not new concepts of course. Advancements in grid connectivity and standards, coupled with the integration of AI for smart automation, however, have accelerated these developments. We’re seeing more and more use cases where grid-interactive buildings enable the localisation, generation and consumption of energy, while mitigating bottlenecks in the distribution network.
Innovation As an industry alliance promoting the adoption of open communication standards for utilities, we are seeing lots of momentum in the industry. HVAC manufacturers and EV charging platform and battery storage solutions specialists are joined by a growing number of startups designing advanced technologies for building energy
32 | TOMORROW’S FM
management systems (BEMS) and driving innovation through intelligent energy management technologies.
Standards The adoption of new technologies and resources will unlock additional benefits and standards play an important role in driving this innovation, particularly around demand response capabilities. But it’s vital that policymakers, regulatory bodies and the industry as a whole support this by mandating and supporting standards. Thankfully, this is happening more frequently in the UK and across Europe.
In the US, for example, the CTA-2045 specification (the certified version is known as EcoPort) enables smart appliances and devices to connect directly to BEMS (commercial and residential) through a universal port. This interoperability promotes flexibility and adaptive energy consumption across appliances.
Any EcoPort-certified control module, when plugged into an appliance or BEMS, can reliably establish communications meeting the requirements of the CTA-2045 standard. This simplifies the installation of standards-based water heaters and other appliances, and interconnection to meet regulatory guidance will be a key factor in growing the building energy management systems business.
UK standards like PAS 1878 and PAS 1879 set out the requirements for energy-smart appliances. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero led the development of PAS 1878, incorporating OpenADR as one of the criteria for an electrical appliance to perform and be classified as an Energy Smart Appliance, while PAS 1879 addresses the demand side response operation of appliances.
The government’s own flexibility programs are supporting the drive for innovative new solutions. The significance of this shouldn’t be underestimated as part of its ambitions to reach net zero by 2050 and highlights the role standards will play in driving energy transformation.
It’s an exciting time in the energy sector right now with a growing range of products and solutions set to be a major contributor to the next generation of grid- interactive buildings.
www.openadr.org twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
Grid-interactive buildings are helping to transform energy management, offering greater flexibility and efficiency by optimising energy loads to reduce the strain on the grid, particularly at peak times, says Don Dulchinos, Director of Market Facilitation at the OpenADR Alliance.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
