Green Spotlight: Demand Response

GREEN SPOTLIGHT

Queens is Green Initiative: Demand Response

The Queens Chamber of Commerce is leading the charge to help fight global climate change. In that effort, what is important to note, the battle against carbon emissions will not be won by a single solution or company. It will be a collaboration, which leads to the genesis of Queens Chamber of Commerce’s CEO Tom Grech’s Queens is Green initiative. Decarbonizing Queens will be achieved through a roadmap of multiple resources ranging from Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Storage, Smart Buildings, EV Charging Stations and Demand Side Energy Management. Solution suites from businesses that all belong to the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

Whether one is motivated to become a climate change leader or tasked with complying with New York City’s Local Law 97 or New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New Yorkers and Queens residents are going to be held responsible for the decarbonization of the built environment from 2024 - 2050.

We are in this together and the Queens is Green initiative provides a resource rich collection of subject matter experts and solutions to help buildings develop their gameplan and exceed their carbon reduction goals. This month’s Green Spotlight features the work of Chamber member CPower Energy Management.

CPower Energy Management is deeply honored to be participating in the Queens Chamber of Commerce’s Queens is Green Initiative. Where CPower Energy Management fits into the Queens is Green solution suite is related to a building’s Demand Side Energy Management plan.

Managing energy demand and balancing New York’s electricity transmission and generation is going to be critical to New York’s aging Grid infrastructure while buildings transition from fossil fuels to electrification to condition their spaces.

Combined with helping grid balance and reliability buildings currently participating in Demand Response in the 5 boroughs of New York City can earn over $250,000 annually. Whether a Demand Response event is called or not, by enrolling in ConEd & NYISO Demand Response programs, having the ability to curtail energy during a 4-hour event will earn your building annual Demand Response revenue for participation.

ConEd just completed a 1.8-billion-dollar AMI meter upgrade which brought over 4.7 million smart meters to New York City laying the foundation for the City’s Smart Grid. These smart meters will allow buildings to participate in Demand Response and earn Demand Response revenue on a yearly basis. Not only will the Demand Response participation provide stronger resiliency to the Grid during brownout or blackout situations, but the revenue earned from Demand Response participation can also be invested back into Decarbonization measures creating a nice virtuous loop for building owners.

Because of how lucrative Demand Response earnings can be. CPower has developed Building Management as a Service and Energy Storage as a Service solutions that we can install at our client’s site at $0 upfront cost. The Building Management, Energy Storage equipment and installation services will be covered across multi-year contracts and paid off from the Demand Response revenue earned. These two solutions are a notable example of how buildings owners in Queens can future proof their properties and add Distributed Energy Resources to their site, which are foundational pillars of a decarbonization plan while removing the financial burden of doing so.

The greening of the Grid is also an important part in New York City’s built environment carbon neutrality goals. Governor Hochul has pledged to have 70% electricity in New York State carbon free by 2030. One way in which that will happen is through Demand Response’s upcoming DER Participation Model.

The DER Participation Model will reward buildings with Solar Plus Battery assets Demand Response revenue for injecting renewable energy back to the Grid when the Grid needs that electricity to prevent a brownout or blackout. Buildings will be able to glean the dual benefit of not only greening the Grid but being compensated for being a resource to provide resiliency back to the Grid in the DER Demand Response program.

CPower looks forward to collaborating with the Queens Chamber of Commerce in the Queens is Green initiative. “The World’s Borough” is leading the world in its fight to save the climate.