Page 12 - CooperatorNews New York September 2021

12 COOPERATORNEWS —
SEPTEMBER 2021
COOPERATORNEWS.COM
percentage of energy. The best a solar panel
can do, he says, is to harness 24% of available
energy from the sun, and today’s panels are
approaching that limit. But new technologies
promise a higher energy harvest. His com-
pany is developing a tandem module, which
has the ability to increase the energy output of
a solar panel by 35%. Using two semiconduc-
tors, tandem panels can capture energy from
both low- and high-wavelength photons.
When they become commercially available
in the near future, it is expected that tandems
will reduce the kilowatt-hour cost of a solar
panel to 2¢.
An additional technological advancement
is the actual material being used to make solar
panels. The traditional polysilicon is already
fairly thin and versatile, but a new material
called perovskite is on its way to commercial
use. Thinner and more transparent than crys-
talline silicon, perovskite has the potential to
be layered on top of existing solar panels to
boost efficiency, or be integrated with glass
to make building windows that also generate
power. Mierlo’s 1366 Technologies has an-
nounced a merger with Hunt Perovskite Tech-
nologies LLC, according to Bloomberg, which
will combine the two technologies to create an
even more efficient solar panel.
There is an uptake component that can po-
tentially reduce costs even further—and that,
says Mierlo, is the biggest challenge. It’s a ma-
jor transition, in both physical components of
a building or community and mental adjust-
ments to a new way of accessing utilities. In
the bigger picture, there has to be a political
will to shift resources and infrastructure away
from the entrenched fossil fuel industry and
into a cleaner, greener energy economy. “But
the solutions are there,” according to Mierlo.
“We just have to decide that we want to do it.”
If You Build It ...
So the technology exists and it’s cost-effec-
tive … but what can a multifamily building or
community do if it doesn’t have a solar farm
or available roof space to house solar panels?
That’s where companies like Green Stream
Holdings Inc. come in. The tech, finance, and
solar utility firm recently announced that it is
partnering with governmental agencies to fa-
cilitate community solar programs, which use
one property’s solar array to offset the utility
bills of ten or more “subscribers” that connect
to it virtually. The company has offices in New
York and is licensed there as well as in Nevada,
New Jersey, and Massachusetts, among other
states.
Through its subsidiary, Green Rain Solar,
LLC, based in Nevada, the company is offer-
ing this arrangement not only to individual
buildings, but also to individual households.
In New York State, it has partnered with Com-
munity Solar—a shared solar program that
offers all utility customers the opportunity
to switch to solar at no cost, with nothing on
their roof or property, and receive immediate
savings on their electric bill. CEO James Di-
Prima says that “the program is available to “make that ‘smart’ equipment—that means source. An added benefit of such a system is
all New York utility customers—residential, it’s responsive to the needs of the residents that buildings that lacked central cooling will
business, nonprofit, and renters. ... A solar and the people in the building, and includes now be able to provide it. Additionally, it will
farm is built on a ‘Host Site’ rooftop or ground telling you how the building’s doing, how the make it easier to charge back individual unit
mount, a remote location within a Utility equipment’s doing—and you can get more so-
Zone; the system is tied directly to the util-
ity grid, bypassing any on-site meters. All of
the power produced by the system can then mission in Local Law 97 isn’t until 2024, there well as costs.
be credited to any individual utility customer, is no reason not to start the process now—
at zero cost—instant savings, and the savings regardless of where you live. For one thing, ever. Says Doherty: “Some buildings are going
will be credited to the individual customer’s these types of projects take a while to research, to have issues with power, and have to bring
bill for 20-plus years.”
Another new technology taking hold in examining your building’s energy data today, ments. There’s going to be issues with build-
Europe and the Middle East is smart glass, it could take until 2024 to actually implement ings as to where to put the condensers and
also known as electrochromic glass or dy-
namic glass. Using a tiny burst of electricity ing to required carbon emission limits, which buildings are gonna just have issues with the
to charge ions on a window layer, smart glass only get more stringent over time. And anoth-
can change the amount of light it reflects. This er important factor that Zuluaga indicates is There are some new technologies that are
goes beyond the low-emittance windows that that once these modifications are online, they coming, and there are some demonstration
block some of the
sun’s radiation—an
existing technol-
ogy already in use
in some multifam-
ily buildings in the
U.S. Rather, smart
glass allows us-
ers to choose how
much light they
want to block.
And, as the name
suggests,
smart
window controls can be linked to a building’s management company FirstService Residen-
management system, allowing for remote and tial, points out that buildings and communi-
automatic tint adjustment depending on time ties looking to reduce their carbon output torNews that the bill, currently in committee,
of day, year, weather, etc. This convenience should focus first on their heating and domes-
and aesthetic enhancement can save a build-
ing or community in both HVAC costs and carbon mainly comes from. “So at the end of tives if it becomes law. “Of particular interest
carbon emissions, as the U.S. Department the useful life of your boiler,” she gives as an is the proportionate share,” says Egg. “Where
of Energy estimates that energy lost through example, “you’re getting ready to replace it—
conventional windows accounts for approxi-
mately 30% of heating and cooling energy.
Decisions, Decisions
With all of these options, how does a board “Every building is going to have to create their the condominium management association
decide which one or ones to implement in own master plan of how they’re going to get to or who is a tenant-stockholder in the coop-
their building or association and when? This that threshold,” she continues.
is definitely an area where one size does not
fit all, say the experts. Marc Zuluaga, PE, CEO their professional managers need to be stra-
of Steven Winter Associates—an architecture tegic as they map out their goals and pro-
and engineering firm specializing in energy cesses for reaching them. Thinking about any his principal residence”—yet another incen-
optimization for commercial and residential upcoming projects or capital needs with one tive for uptake of the heat pump solution in
buildings with offices in New York, Con-
necticut, and Massachusetts—tells
Coopera-
torNews
that existing multifamily buildings and savings as they move forward. A holis-
would do best to “start with what you have.”
“There’s lots of sophisticated systems out about interdependencies of systems and com-
there,” continues Zuluaga, “but at a minimum, ponents, and how projects might be complet-
looking at your annual bills and understand-
ing the implications is as important as making the best bang for the buck in terms of both might have problems getting incentives, be-
sure that the data is right.” Several U.S. cities, overall costs and long-term savings.
including New York City and Chicago, have
adopted benchmarking standards for large
residential buildings as part of a larger cli-
mate compliance initiative. New York’s Local moving to a new system. If they don’t have ac-
Law 97, for example, requires buildings over cess to gas, a transition to electric heating and oh, yeah—the planet.
25,000 square feet to submit professional en-
ergy assessments and achieve energy reduc-
tion benchmarks at five-year intervals leading tems in general is where we are headed, and
up to 2050, when the city intends to reach its Doherty is “a big fan of heat pumps”—the
carbon-neutral goal. “Then as new equipment technology that distributes heating and cool-
goes into your building,” continues Zuluaga, ing from a non-fossil-burning ground or air
phisticated over time.”
While the first year for accurate data sub-
analyze, estimate, and install. Even if you start power to the building and then to the apart-
the modifications that will bring your build-
will deliver savings in projects that are happening in New York City
costs, usage, and ef-
ficiency, no matter York State Energy Research and Development
where your building is Authority—“and other agencies that are look-
located. Why not reap ing at converting multifamily buildings to heat
those benefits as soon pumps. So I am hopeful that we’ll have more
as possible?
Kelly Doherty, vice
president of FirstSer-
vice Energy, the en-
ergy management and in St. Petersburg, Florida, is a leading expert
advisory
subsidiary
of national property lows for a heat pump system to use the am-
tic hot water systems—because that’s where sion to geothermal on top of federal incen-
what are your options for the rooftop unit that chased and installed by a condominium man-
runs on gas?” Doherty echoes other experts agement association or a cooperative housing
in that it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. corporation, a taxpayer who is a member of
This is an important point. Boards and pose of this subsection claim a proportionate
eye on carbon reduction solutions will allow multifamily buildings.
boards and managers to integrate efficiency
tic approach is also key. Boards should think building you are in, or which sustainability
ed simultaneously or in sequence to achieve going to run into problems—and you also
Pumping It Up
Doherty notes that older buildings that still But you need to have a plan first.”
run on oil are really going to have to address
cooling might be the way to go. While likely
a huge undertaking, the move to electric sys-
owners or tenants for their usage—which
could be a motivator for usage reduction,
which in turn reduces carbon emissions, as
It’s not necessarily an easy transition how-
where to put the units themselves. And other
costs associated with doing that conversion.
right now through NYSERDA”—the New
data on how well those buildings are doing.”
On the horizon for co-ops, condos, and
HOAs in New York is Senate Bill
S3864. Jay Egg, president of Egg Geo based
on ground coupling—the technology that al-
bient temperature deep underground to heat
and cool buildings. He informs Coopera-
would provide a 25% tax credit for conver-
geothermal energy system equipment is pur-
erative housing corporation may for the pur-
share of the total expense as the expenditure
for the purposes of the credit attributable to
The Time Is Nigh
No matter where you are, what type of
projects are on the list, “don’t wait ‘til the last
minute,” warns Doherty. “That is when you’re
cause there’s going to be a ton starting in 2020
and through 2025 that you want to capture.
Follow the Scout motto and be prepared.
You will be saving headaches, money, and—
n
Darcey Gerstein is Associate Editor and Staff
Writer for CooperatorNews.
NEW GREEN TECH...
continued from page 1
“Every building is
going to have to create
their own master plan
of how they’re going to
get to that threshold.”
—Kelly Doherty