Refrigerated warehouses (cold storage facilities) have one of the highest electric energy consumption rates in the commercial building sector. After personnel, energy is usually their second highest operating expense.
When we throw things into the trashcan, we rarely think about where the trash goes. It is, after all, out of sight, and therefore (for most of us), out of mind. The World Economic Forum recently published an article about how much Americans waste, and surprisingly enough, we were #10 for energy consumption and #8 for carbon-dioxide emissions. You might be thinking, “that’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” But waste, like time, is tricky to measure objectively.
While most people’s interaction with cold storage is limited to their fridges and freezers, in reality, the cold storage facilities are an essential part of every consumers life.
What are Demand Charges?
We all know that depending on how we use energy, we are charged differently. For most of us, that is to say small time customers, our energy bill comes in the form of a flat rate based on our total energy used for the billing period. Larger consumers of energy on the other hand, are often charged a higher number based on their demand. These are referred to as demand charges.
Are we facing just another buzzword phenomenon, or are “smart cities” truly a step forward in the right direction to improve urban planning?
2018 is going to be a year of technological discoveries and new energy saving opportunities for utility companies, energy storage, electric vehicles, and crypto currencies. Some of these changes will be revolutionary to how we live and do business, so the developments that unfold within the next twelve months are vital to the future of the energy consumption.
Are increasing threats to Arizona’s soaring heat becoming an opportunity for change?
This blog is in response to the Phoenix Business Journal (PBJ) article, “Burn notice: Climate change threatens Phoenix” written by Mike Sunnucks.
Untenable, unsustainable and unlivable – these despairing words are the opening to a bleak prediction of Arizona’s economic growth and climate change.
As a city, Phoenix has faced increasing temperatures that are 7.4 degrees above normal, a hike in heat-related health impacts and deaths, rapid population growth that’s gone from 375,000 in 1950 to 4.6 million people today, and policymakers who deny climate change as an issue.
For every problem, there’s an opportunity for change, innovation, and growth. Even with the economic, political and environmental issues, “Arizona is in a unique position to turn a potentially disastrous situation into viable opportunities,” Ketan Patel, CEO of Naya Energy.
It might be the serial entrepreneur or eternal optimist talking, but Ketan sees “the rising temperatures in Maricopa County as an incredible opportunity for innovation.” Threatening climate change could “promote new approaches on how we, as a community, pursue solar, energy demand, wind, storage and cooling efficiencies. Many of these issues require a level of innovation and collaboration that are just not required elsewhere in the world today. However, what we make of our reality today, will be the global reality for tomorrow.”
This presents Arizona with a unique opportunity; to lead the world in energy innovation, testing, and validation.
An Example:
The Demand Impact of Solar Energy in Arizona
During the summers in Phoenix, temperatures can reach above 100˚F after dark. This increases the need for residents and businesses to blast their air cooling systems nonstop, day and night. However, in the future “R-22 will be removed from manufacturing as a coolant, this means that less efficient alternatives will be used. This presents new problems of efficiency and pressure for HVAC systems that will have to be solved.”
Wouldn’t it be better to use Arizona as the testing grounds to develop and test the boundary conditions of new innovative technologies, as compared to Southern California, where solar demands are dramatically lower after dark?
As noted in the PBJ article, “the biggest challenge is the Phoenix economy still is driven by growth.” In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau found Maricopa County to be the fastest-growing county in the nation – with 222 people added per day in 2016.
If we are to meet Arizona’s growing energy needs, Ketan insists “we collaborate and think beyond the conventional limitations of a down-stream grid. Concepts like Virtual Power Plants and distributed energy generation and usage must become part of the dialog.”
Energy storage is going to become an increasing necessity as we use alternative power to meet growing energy needs. The current Lithium-ion battery option doesn’t work in high-heat environments, as it reduces its battery life and efficiency. “This is another reason why Arizona would be incredibly important for this revolution, it is a problem that we will have to overcome,” stresses Ketan.
Arizona’s strained energy usage and increased temperatures pose a unique competitive advantage in building energy-related innovations and technologies.
Articles like “Burn notice: Climate change threatens Phoenix” combat the common perception that everything is fine. But after we understand the problem, what are we going to do about it?
“I, for one, look forward to the challenge of meeting our energy needs in a high-heat intensity environment, and by doing so, leading the world in energy innovation.”
Written by Charlotte Oliva, Marketing Team and quoted by Ketan Patel, CEO of Naya Energy.
To learn more about what we do here at Naya Energy, fill out the contact form below.
PHOENIX, June 1, 2017 — Naya Energy, a global technology leader in demand reduction founded and headquartered in Arizona, today announced it was selected as one of ten finalists in the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) Spring 2017 round of the Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC), a bi-annual business plan competition.
Created on: August, 26 2017
By Hayley Ringle Reporter, Phoenix Business Journal
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