Solar Solutions
Ah the Sun – it’s certainly one of the most quintessential renewable energy sources. Top Chord focuses on the use of photovoltaic solar (Solar PV) systems to convert sunlight to electricity. Given there is no fuel required for generation, emissions from solar PV are zero and the cost of operation is minimal. Solar PV is intermittent however (i.e. it’s not always generating because the sun is not always shining), so Solar PV is best designed as a supplement to grid supplied power. Additionally, the space requirements for Solar PV is relatively is large, so those who can leverage either available facility roof space or under-utilized adjacent land are the best candidates for this technology on-site. There are a considerable number of investors seeking to place investments into clean-tech and renewable energy, so in turn there are many financing options that we can utilize for customers with strong credit that eliminates the need to outlay capital for a Solar PV project.
For those customers on a time of use tariff who are paying more than a blended 10 cents per kWh for their energy and are looking to reduce their energy costs, a local solar PV system is likely a nice fit to supplement your utility supplied power. If you have specific sustainability goals in place today that limit your carbon footprint, solar is definitely a technology that should be assessed as to how it can most cost effectively fit into your operation.
We have experience developing, designing and constructing solar projects as small as 25kW and as large as 40MW+.
Energy Storage Solutions
Energy storage is a broad term which covers many different methods off maintaining or containing energy to be used later. Whether it is electricity, heat or motion that is stored, advancements in storage provide some of the most exciting developments today in the energy market. The technology that is gaining the most traction the past few years and our main storage focus is battery storage.
Our battery storage solutions are charged by either an onsite renewable or traditional distributed generation source or simply by the electric grid. With solar PV + storage (PV+S) you can virtually eliminate the intermittency challenge that exists solar generation and create a local generation source that can meet your energy needs at critical and high cost intervals. The most significant challenges with battery storage today is the cost; however with that said, there are most definitely applications of storage that are creating significant value today. For those with short duration but significant peak demand, one can apply a storage solution to not only reduce electricity costs but also prevent or limit any short-term interruptions in grid supplied power. In certain applications additional value can be provided back to the serving utility, creating additional value streams to support the project. Over time energy storage solutions will have a greater and greater share of the distributed generation marketplace, but it quite possible this solution is competitively available and a technological fit for you now.
We have experience developing, designing and constructing solar PV plus storage systems and stand-alone storage projects ranging in size between 5kWh and 3MWh.
Fuel Cells
There are several different types of fuel cells, but the most viable option in today’s marketplace converts natural gas and warmed air into electricity by an electrochemical reaction. This is a continual process creating electricity at a constant load 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The by-product of the reaction creates both water which is reused in the process and a negligible amount of carbon emission. Successful fuel cell applications often size the fuel cell to cover a consistent underlying portion of the overall on-site demand. For those who have some degree of constant load, fuel cells are a nice low emission and reliable option.
Fuel cells tend to be more expensive than other technologies, both in terms of upfront purchase as well as on-going operating costs, but as with solar, there are commercial terms for fuel cells that we can offer that include zero capital outlay options through third-party firms partnering with Top Chord and/or the fuel cell manufacturer. Given its low emission profile, fuel cells are a great option for those with sustainability goals tied to carbon emission of the electricity source as well as those in locations that have strict air regulations such as most metropolitan or surrounding areas.
Smart Generators
Reciprocating engine driven generators (“Recips”) have been around for a long time, and they continue to get more powerful and more efficient in their fuel use. The most prevalent units consume either diesel fuel or natural gas and can be dispatched and reach full rated power within 7-15 seconds. The quick responsiveness and substantial amount of power density are the two biggest strengths for the technology in distributed generation marketplace.
Recips are often utilized for resiliency, either as stand-by or redundant back-up power. We deploy recips with smart, advanced monitoring and controls capabilities which enables us to monitor the load not only at the site but often with the serving utility as well. We operate the system remotely and control it without direct client involvement; in other words seamless to the site host. Such use of recips can limit electricity usage during coincident or non-coincident peak demand, an activity also known as peak-shaving, in efforts to reduce the demand charge included in many utility tariffs.
These application tend to be outside of metropolitan areas due to non-emergency run time air permit limitations. Although often getting a bad rap for being dirty, and not being able to meet air regulations in many areas for applications that require long run times, Recips definitely have their role in being green.
By generating electricity onsite and not pulling energy from the grid during periods of peak load, these utility customers help the utility by reducing the overall amount of electricity supply the utility must provide to its customers during this peak time. Although actual emissions of a generator may be relatively high, their use for peak shaving reduces the utility’s need to run the least efficient and highest emission powers plants to meet the very top of the overall demand curve.
Microgrids
The term microgrid means different things to different people in the industry. We define a microgrid as an integrated system including one or more of the above technologies installed together with an over-arching control system that enables the system to run either in parallel to the electric grid or completely disconnected or “islanded” from the electric grid. Whether the application is intended for security, reliability or resiliency, the microgrid control system’s ability to optimize the use of various generation sources, considering either availability or cost considerations, and seamlessly switch between those generation sources is an essential characteristic and key differentiator of various microgrid solutions.
The partners who support the various elements of our microgrid solutions are world class technology and controls vendors. We work with them as they have installed thousands of systems and subsequently operated those systems through tens of thousands of specialized emergency, load shifting and peak shaving events.
Lighting, Building & Equipment Controls
Energy efficiency projects often are the most immediate and most significant approach to reducing electricity costs, as well as improving one’s environmental sustainability. The simple payback for lighting projects that retrofit traditional lighting fixtures with LED fixtures and controls can be less than one year, in addition to having a more inviting lighting profile. We also focus on identifying large but non-critical loads that can be temporarily shed during periods of peak demand to help keep demand charges (and costs) down. Load prioritization also can enable a smaller sizing of complementary generation assets on site than they would be otherwise.
topchord.com 