3 Ways Energy Modelling Can Help Developers in NYC

Three ways energy modeling helps developers in NYC are: UBEM tools allow large-scale simulations of buildings’ energy usage, and performance-based approaches allow for more design freedom than prescriptive codes do. According to thecotocongrop – NYC local law 97 provider, NYC’s Greener, Greater Buildings Plan requires that buildings over 25,000 sf benchmark their energy use. This data is then used to determine a building’s energy grade and ENERGY STAR score.

Electricity markets facilitate change in the power system

New research has shown that electricity markets can help developers in New York City make changes to their power systems. The current research focus on two types of electricity markets: spot markets, which involve immediate physical delivery, and futures markets, which involve delayed delivery and are used for risk hedging. The researchers are interested in developing new rules and frameworks for electricity markets. They also study the impact of active demand-side participation and price-responsive bids on the day-ahead power market.

The electricity industry faces new challenges as it attempts to modernize its power system. It must replace outdated infrastructure, mitigate storms, integrate variable large-scale renewables, and incorporate distributed resources into the system. The electricity industry needs to change its business model and integrate new technologies in order to keep pace with the demands of its consumers. Historically, investor-owned utilities have operated as vertically integrated monopolies or were deregulated markets. These systems were expensive and inefficient, and today, only one third of the US population is served by these utilities.

UBEM tools allow the energy simulation of buildings at large scales

UBEM provides the energy demand of buildings at a large scale and incorporates several key characteristics, including building geometry, glazing area, and year of construction. This model allows for the calculation of energy efficiency in agglomerate building stock and its associated service provisioning. Unlike top-down simulations, UBEM allows for the evaluation of several refurbishment scenarios with detailed analysis of the energy saving potential and economic aspects.

While UBEM tools allow for detailed simulations of buildings at a large scale, they require considerable computational effort to develop. However, the resulting models are capable of identifying the right mix of renovation measures and policies. Other typologies of UBEMs are limited to annual energy consumption and do not include spatiotemporal detail. UBEM tools enable energy simulation of buildings at large scales, and they can be divided into two main types: bottom-up physics-based UBEM and top-down UBEM.

Electricity storage capacity is expected to grow

New York is pursuing policies to increase energy storage, and hopes to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. To date, New York has established a 3GW goal for energy storage deployment. The Commonwealth of Virginia set a slightly larger goal of 3.1GW by 2035. As of this writing, nine states have energy storage targets, with Maine becoming the most recent to adopt one. By the end of this year, New York will have a total of 1.7GW of electricity storage capacity installed.

Despite this significant increase in demand for electricity, the impact on grid capacity is small. Energy storage resources contribute a net load to the grid, or electricity consumed more than they inject. NYISO predicts that these resources will only affect 1% of the system’s load, though new, more efficient technologies may reduce this impact. But it is still not enough. Until then, electricity storage is expected to continue growing in NYC.

Impact of electrification on future electric system demands

In the city, a bill has been introduced in the City Council to ban gas hookups for new buildings. State lawmakers are pushing for an all-electric building requirement by 2024. The bill would also ban fossil fuel conversions after that point. In New York, the bill was introduced in May but was amended in late October. As a result, the bill could face stiff opposition from the same players.

The electrification of citywide buildings will likely shift peak power demand from summer to winter. This will raise demand levels. But these changes will not happen overnight, since the pace has been slow. The utilities have time to adjust to the new peaks. By upgrading the energy efficiency of buildings and installing heat pumps, developers can keep demand increases manageable. This may require governmental programs and infrastructure upgrades to keep up with the rate of electrification.