Whitepaper examines growing importance of storage in energy conservation
IMEG’s latest whitepaper, “Energy Storage: A Critical Component of Energy Conservation,” examines the growing use of on-site renewable energy production and energy storage and the impact these combined strategies can have on a building’s energy use profile.
Co-authors Adam McMillen, IMEG Director of Sustainability, and Sean Smith, Chief Engineer for Trane Technologies, show how the right timing of production, storage, and use of on-site energy can enable facilities to eliminate their use of the electric grid during peak demand hours, save on energy cost, and reduce their carbon footprint.
This fundamental shift in energy production makes it critical for energy policies and efficiency standards such as ASHRAE 90.1 to also play a role in encouraging the use of renewable energy. Standards must also address the timing of when that energy is used, because not all energy is created equally.
“Establishing requirements for energy storage supports the original intent of the standard,” the authors state, “and can lead to a more environmentally friendly electrical grid.”