ASHRAE releases guide on grid interactivity in the decarbonization process

A guide focusing on the critical role of grid interactivity in building decarbonization was recently published by ASHRAE.

The Grid-Interactive Buildings for Decarbonization: Design and Operation Resource Guide provides information on maximizing carbon reduction through buildings’ interaction with the electric power grid. The guide discusses smart technologies, renewable energy sources, and energy storage systems that optimize energy consumption and generation.

These technologies allow buildings to respond in real-time to grid signals, reducing overall demand and greenhouse gas emissions. The guide offers best practices, design considerations, and operational guidelines to target the three primary value streams of grid integration:

Reduced Carbon Emissions: Covers how to make significant contributions to reducing carbon emissions through smart building-grid interaction.
Cost Savings: Offers strategies to optimize energy usage and save on operational costs.
Resiliency: Provides options to enhance a building's ability to withstand and adapt to changing grid conditions, ensuring uninterrupted operations.

The guide primarily focuses on commercial and multifamily buildings but also includes relevant information for the residential and industrial sectors. In addition to design guidance, the resource guide provides operational recommendations for new and existing buildings.

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.