Greentech Lead U.S: Verde Energy USA, a retailer of
electricity, in association with the City of St. Charles, Illinois, has
announced the launch of a clean energy efficiency partnership and demonstration
project.
The project will be carried out in partnership with Verde
Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of Verde Energy USA and a clean energy
solutions provider.
The project, which involves the installation of a proven,
clean energy storage system in a municipal building, will achieve energy
efficiencies, reduce costs, and enhance grid reliability related to air
conditioning. The project will begin this month and continue throughout
2013, while Verde and the City of St. Charles collect data and share
results.
As part of the partnership, Verde will invest the funds
necessary to purchase and install Ice Energy’s “Ice Bear” technology,
an intelligent, smart grid-enabled, distributed energy storage system.
Through a partnership agreement with Ice Energy, Verde holds the right to
distribute Ice Bear technology, which has been tested and proven by over 50
investor and publicly-owned utilities throughout North America.
The Ice Bear replaces conventional condensing units, a
component of a typical building cooling system. It shifts air conditioning
electrical power demand to off-peak hours by using plain water to make ice at
night, when the electric grid is generally unstressed. Then, during the hot
summer day, when demand goes up and electric prices may be higher, the melting
ice bathes the air conditioner’s compressor with cool air so the air
conditioning unit uses less energy at a peak demand time to cool the building.
The melted water is then recycled through the system when the process begins
again the following night. The result is lower energy costs and increased grid
reliability.
In St. Charles, the Ice Bear technology will be installed
at the municipal water treatment laboratory building, located at the City’s
Public Works complex, replacing an aging, inefficient air conditioning unit.