On-site power storage is becoming a realistic possibility. However, as with most opportunities to cut energy costs, the devil may be in the contractual details. If contract terms are not specified clearly, it could be a bunch of hocus pocus.

The cost of battery power (measured in dollars per storable kilowatt-hour, $/kWh) has been rapidly falling. The cost of solar panels has also dropped, making its renewable power competitive, after the inclusion of incentives and subsidies. But solar panels only generate power when the sun shines. If some of that power could be stored, it may help trim a building’s peak load and provide off-peak power.

Many new suppliers and brokers have recently entered the field of retail energy procurement. Ensuring the viability and integrity of these new companies is as important as any business agreement you enter. The importance of understanding supply contract details and language cannot be overstated. Verifying the credibility of unknown entities can prevent future troubles.

The lexicon surrounding energy and climate change issues never stops growing. A recent addition is “carbon leakage”, which may occur due to the difference in the strictness of climate policies between two nations.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) defines a microgrid as “a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid. A microgrid can connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate in both grid-connected or island-mode.”

A large data center purchased and renovated a building. They planned on expanding the facility in the future and asked the utility to provide an electric service capable of supplying 6 MW. The utility ruled that the electric service request was “excess” since the facility’s current requirements were less than 2 MW. The cost of the “excess” service would be almost $6 million. The utility suggested that the customer should apply for a special rate that would allow them to pay the additional costs over time. The customer was unaware that the total cost over the 20-year life cycle would exceed $20 million. Also, the utility did not bill the customer correctly and delayed the billing for two years.

A major university approached Luthin Associates to develop a plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% over a ten-year period. Luthin worked directly with facilities, financial services, students, and faculty to create a sustainability committee. The committee developed a Whole Health Energy Plan that would enable the customer to meet its goals and increase the sustainability of its campuses, which comprised more than 40 buildings and over 3 million square feet.

When a building produces all the energy it consumes from renewable sources, it is referred to as a “net-zero energy” or a “zero energy” building (NZEB or ZEB). Such facilities typically feature a combination of aggressive efficiency efforts (both passive and active) and a large on-site photovoltaic (PV) solar power generation system.

The opening chapter of Alice in Wonderland is aptly titled “Down the Rabbit Hole.” Alice’s adventures begin when she follows a rabbit down its hole and consumes items that cause her body to expand and contract. Alice’s journey has been a metaphor for mind-altering experiences ever since.

While 2015 marked the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland, it also marked the anniversary of the Jevons Paradox.  William Stanley Jevons, an English economist, observed that the increased usage of coal was leading to critical shortages. He concluded that traditional sustainable energy sources such as wind, biomass, and hydro were not going to make a comeback due to scarceness and their relative unreliability.

Orbit City, the Jetsons’ hometown, gets all its power from renewable energy. When the wind blows and the sun shines, it makes the electricity that keeps the city humming. But what happens at night, or when the air is still?

When the sun and wind provide more power than needed, the excess is used to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen, with no carbon emissions. When sun and wind power are insufficient, stored hydrogen feeds into fuel cells whose only output is power and water vapor. While this may sound like science fiction, all the components needed to make it happen have been around for decades.