Page 49 - REALCOMM EDGE-Fall 2017-FINAL

energy resources (DERs)
to include in their mi-
crogrid in what priority.
This is the least risky and
most affordable way to
progress toward true
energy independence.
Preparing a recent
energy plan for a shop-
ping mall in California,
the project team started
by modeling its future
microgrid using real
performance data from
the actual shopping
center—not by plug-
ging pro forma data into Marine Corps Base - Camp Pendleton, CA.
predictive models. The team collected a year’s worth of energy project team; don’t let aggressive sales pitches blind you to
data, recording usage at 15-minute intervals. They then had a your full set of options. If you are looking to radically increase
detailed picture of the mall’s energy load profile from the out- net asset value by improving NOI, you need to drive down your
set, knowing the peak times and time-of-use charges that had energy costs, and the only way to get there is to orchestrate the
been applied in the past. By installing the mix of DERs to match best mix of assets and technologies into a financially program-
that profile and integrating the FlexPower™ system to control mable microgrid.
and optimize energy consumption, the mall was on its way to
achieving its goal of a microgrid that could deliver 100% renew- Adam Maher comes from a 20-year career in industrial
able energy. Even without significant state or utility-sponsored development. As owner of an intermountain construction and
incentives, this project is on course to pay back the investment development firm, Adam designed, constructed and managed
capital in under seven years. millions of square feet of commercial and industrial product across
Customers that buy energy-as-a-service from a single vendor 16 states. In the process, he developed a deep appreciation of the
before doing the economic modeling are not positioned for need for advanced building controls and dynamic utility management. Adam now
similar success. They can do programmatic peak shaving and de- acts as Senior Vice President for CleanSpark, a software and micro grid
mand-response as intended and, in some cases, they can also sell development company specializing in energy use power planning, turnkey micro grid
energy back to their utility when they over-produce. But some development services, and grid performance management.
are already finding that the payback of having one resource be-
hind one meter is falling short of their ROI goals and limiting their
options for microgrid growth and flexibility. About 85% of the
energy storage customers we’ve asked express that they now see
the one-resource approach was wrong. But they say, “What can
we do? We’ve already bought into a long-term contract.”
Don’t let this happen to your organization. Energy storage is
a welcome addition to the DER arsenal available to a microgrid

Realcomm 47