The ESG Benchmark for Real Assets
With its achievement of Canada’s first Zero Carbon Building – Performance certification in June 2018, Bentall Kennedy’s 100 Murray Street building in Ottawa highlights how any high-performing existing building can reach zero carbon emissions. [Read more…]
The Science-Based Targets Initiative is helping companies to set carbon targets to achieve the Paris Agreement’s ‘2ºC’ goal, but their approach gives just a 50% chance of success. Can we risk the fate of the planet on a coin toss? [Read more…]
When Algonquin College made a commitment to become a more sustainable institution for future generations, it turned to Siemens to help achieve its goals.
For more than 25 years, Siemens and Algonquin College have partnered to work towards an ambitious goal of ensuring the college reaches a zero net carbon footprint by 2042.
As the first Canadian college to sign the Talloires Declaration, which commits post-secondary institutions around the world to be leaders in sustainability, Algonquin College set out to find a provider that could turn its visions of sustainability into a reality. After a strong bid combining solutions from a number of business units, Algonquin College signed on Siemens and its innovative approach.
John Tattersall, Director of Physical Resources Algonquin College:
At Algonquin College, we want to be recognized as global leaders in providing innovative and sustainable learning environments for our students so they can realize their hopes, their dreams, their aspirations. To do that we want a strategic partner that is a global leader. Siemens Canada is that strategic partner. Siemens not only understood the ‘what’ we were after, they clearly understood the ‘why’ we were after it.
Siemens proposal was bold – a Campus Transformation supported by a Strategic Partnership. The scope included Campus-wide lighting and controls, water conservation, major HVAC upgrades, Demand Flow technology, Central Plant improvements, Building Automation and many other building improvements. The transformation also included a 4 MW cogeneration plant, scaled Solar PV, power storage and EV charging stations controlled by a Siemens Microgrid solution. In addition, an on-site Sustainability Coordinator was introduced to support the communication plan and drive non-technical savings through behavior and cultural change.
On top of this extensive renovation, Siemens technology has allowed Algonquin College to create, direct and store its own energy. Siemens microgrid controller sets energy needs from the solar PV and CoGen. They then direct energy to the load, Algonquin College and to energy storage. When needed, the microgrid controller can direct stored energy to Algonquin College.
These improvements have resulted in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from campus buildings, as well as substantial financial benefits. Long term, these will add up to tens of millions of dollars in operating cost savings and reduced deferred maintenance costs. In fact, Algonquin College has seen an annual reduction in costs of $3.2 million, which has been put back into improved classrooms and facilities for its most important stakeholder – its students.
To find out more about this innovative partnership, please visit https://www.siemens.com/ca/en/home/company/topic-areas/ingenuity-for-life/algonquin.html
Basin Street Properties Retrofit Seven Rooftop Units with SMC Motors And Saw Total Annualized HVAC Fan Energy Savings of 53%Basin Street Properties is one of Northern California and Northern Nevada’s prominent developers, investors, and managers of commercial properties with over 4 million square feet under management. The company is committed to sustainable and resilient asset management including energy performance improvement across its portfolio.
Basin Street Properties had a specific goal to optimize HVAC system energy efficiency and make the system intelligent. The ideal HVAC solution would:
SMC Smart Motors feature a patented Switched Reluctance design. Industry results highlight exponential improvements against standard induction motors in performance capabilities including torque, power density, efficiency and versatility. The SMC Smart Motor System combines internet-of-things (IoT) building automation technology to help building operators, facility managers, and certified contractors create intelligent and efficient energy systems. It provides real-time visibility and actionable insights for key components of commercial and industrial buildings. The SMC motor uses electricity only when needed to perform useful work and is less expensive to own and operate than a conventional induction motor.
Pilot site: The Lakes, 2255 Challenger Way, Santa Rosa, CA, owned and operated by Basin Street Properties. Building square footage: 20,000
Scope: The pilot project consisted of retrofitting seven RTUs (Manufacturer: Bryant) and replacing existing 1HP fixed-speed induction motors with 1HP SMC Smart Motors
Installation Partner: Mechanical Legacy and Energy Services
Measurement & Verification (M&V) partner: Gridium, Inc.
By replacing induction motors in RTU applications with SMC Smart Motor Systems, Basin Street Properties achieved:
The systems’ remote monitoring capabilities enabled SMC to detect that a motor pulley broke during the pilot and to alert maintenance teams immediately that it needed to be replaced.
One of the benefits of early participation in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment was that it helped real estate portfolios improve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) -related policies and management systems. [Read more…]