Blog - Smart Buildings Center

Join the SBX 2021 Virtual Tour of Digital Twin – 1 Manhattan West

July 27, 2021 By Britton Rife

The Smart Buildings Exchange 2021 FREE virtual conference has plenty of exciting sessions that explore the technology and practices of smart buildings. Certainly, the end of day one of the conference has something very special for attendees. Willow, one of the world’s leading companies in building digital twin technology will take you on a “tour” of 1 Manhattan West, a 2.1 million square foot office building in New York City. Willow, in partnership with Microsoft, applied digital twin technology to one of Brookfield Properties flagship buildings in the city. As landlords, occupiers and governments are reconfiguring their investment priorities for physical assets in a post-COVID environment, digital twins are enabling them to maximize investments and extend the life of buildings. Tour guides Ian Siegel and Chris Manna of Willow will show how this technology is actively deployed to help achieve cost and operational efficiencies.

Join building owners/managers, facility professionals, utilities, and industry representatives to learn more about the how and why of smart buildings. View the full conference agenda and register for free today!

Snohomish County PUD Arlington Microgrid Goes Live!

July 22, 2021 By Britton Rife

This month, Snohomish County PUD is energizing its innovative Arlington Microgrid and Clean Energy Center. Located near the Arlington Airport, the new project employs state-of-the-art technology to demonstrate the multiple uses of energy storage, including grid resiliency, renewable energy integration, grid support and electric vehicle integration.

Think of the Arlington Microgrid as a clean energy generator with a day job. When connected to the grid, the system will send power generated by the 500-kilowatt solar array on site to PUD customers. But if the microgrid is “islanded” and independent from the grid, it will have the ability to provide electricity to critical PUD facilities in the event of a storm or natural disaster.

To help fund the project, the PUD was granted $3.5 million in funding from the Washington state Clean Energy Fund, covering over a quarter of the project’s costs.

Here’s a look at the components of the Arlington Microgrid and Clean Energy Center:

Battery Storage
The 1 megawatt/1.4 megawatt-hour lithium-ion battery storage system can store enough energy to power 30 homes for a full day. Powered by the on-site solar array, the battery will be able to power critical PUD facilities when the sun’s not shining or wind’s not blowing.

V2G Charging
Two vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, charging stations will allow PUD fleet vehicles to not only receive a charge but flow power back on to the grid. The PUD collaborated with Mitsubishi to build the two charging stations, which are the nation’s first grid-integrated V2G charging stations.

Clean Energy Center
The multi-use facility will use interactive exhibits and displays focused on renewable energy, battery storage and energy efficiency to educate industry and community members and students.

Community Solar
The 500-kilowatt solar array not only provides clean energy to power the battery storage system, but it expands access to solar power through the PUD’s Community Solar program.

Job Opportunity: Building Technical Compliance Lead, City of Seattle

July 22, 2021 By Britton Rife

Closing: 8/3/2021 4:00 PM Pacific

Position Description

The Department

The Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) develops and implements citywide environmental policies and programs that propel our city toward a sustainable, equitable, and carbon neutral future. OSE prioritizes racial equity and environmental justice when considering and implementing climate policy.

The Job

The Office of Sustainability & Environment is seeking applications for the job of Building Technical Compliance Lead. In this job, you will serve as the point person for commercial building energy efficiency regulation under SMC 22.930, which includes providing building operations and maintenance technical assistance, code interpretation, and review of building tune-up submittals to confirm compliance with Seattle law. You will report to the Energy Benchmarking and Tune-Ups Program Manager and focus on the following areas:

Operating the Building Tune-Ups help desk
Implementing building energy policies and programs
Providing technical review of building energy benchmarking reports and tune-up alternative compliance and report submissions
Leading updates to the Director’s Rules and working with the Program Manager to propose ordinance changes to enhance policy effectiveness
Developing curriculum and providing training for building engineers and energy efficiency professionals
Creating articles and publishing a quarterly e-newsletter
Using the Seattle Race and Social Equity Index to identify and proactively communicate with owners of facilities in priority areas that need support in order to comply with regulations

View the full job description and application requirements here.

SBX 2021 Session Highlight: Workforce Skill Development for a Smart Building Future

July 13, 2021 By Britton Rife

The Smart Buildings Exchange virtual conference, August 24-25, will dive deep into the role of smarter buildings in a changing energy landscape. Day 1 of the event will feature an engaging discussion on the importance of workforce skill development in meeting the needs of the smart, clean and efficient buildings industry.

Workforce Skill Development for a Smart Building Future

Creating and maintaining a building environment that is healthy, comfortable, and productive for occupants has always been challenging. That challenge is growing exponentially today as building systems become more sophisticated and employee expectations for their indoor environment become a critical component of talent acquisition and retention. These challenges are creating need for new skills and abilities for all who bear the responsibility for making buildings work better. Leading building owner/manager organizations and the Biden administration’s Better Buildings program effort are focusing on the issue of workforce development. This session will bring practitioners from the front lines of workforce development to talk about how training programs are addressing this need from entry-level to on-the-job training and how these programs open the door to a more diversified workforce in this important area.

Panelists include Melanie Danuser, Smart Buildings Center, Lindsey Falasca, Building Innovation Hub, and Madeline Salzman, U.S. Department of Energy. The discussion will be moderated by Diane Levine with the IFMA Foundation.

View the full conference agenda and register for free today!

SBC Lend & Learn Workshop

July 7, 2021 By Britton Rife

Last month the Smart Buildings Center (SBC) along with local businesses and professionals working within the clean building environment, came together for two in-depth workshops. The goal of these workshops was to create a pilot program that would help grow local manufacturer’s clean technologies, expand the SBC’s Tool Lending Library (TLL), and find the best ways to get these tools to users looking to reduce energy and carbon emissions in their buildings. Currently the TLL consists of over 950 tools including 85 unique types. Tools can be rented out locally for up to four weeks in Washington and Oregon. Users can go to the Smart Building Center’s website to reserve tools from the library and pick them up in person, or have them shipped to their location.

Industry leaders from across Washington and Oregon were represented in the workshops including King County’s rail and solid waste divisions, South Seattle College, Energy 350, Washington State Department of Commerce, Shoreline Public Schools, and Seattle City Light.

Inside the workshops, groups discussed how more manufacturers and tool borrows could be reached; and the value proposition of the pilot between the two. Feedback highlighted the need for getting the tools to people who normally wouldn’t have access to them, more training sessions of tools inside the lending library, and better ways to get them deployed into the field. The groups also worked on finding ways to work with local organizations in creating learning programs centered on attracting people looking to get into clean energy.

SBC sent out a survey in March asking TLL users why they use the library and how it helps them achieve their energy goals. Results from the survey came back with 93% citing how free access to tools and overall inventory depth supported them on new projects. Workshop participants spent time breaking down the survey results trying to find the best ways to expand library inventory while paying special attention to local manufactures and small business users. Providing future trainings, webinars, and access to volunteers within the clean energy sector were also discussed.

In both workshops participants were challenged to put the pilot program into action and build upon what is already in place. Not only getting cutting edge tools into peoples’ hands, but also the newest software that is currently being used in the market today. Local manufacturers shared their thoughts on optimal ways to get the tools they produce out to the public while receiving the feedback and success stories they need to improve their products. SBC discussed possible website updates where individual case studies could be posted and users could share their experiences and results that they achieved.

One of the many workshop activities was working on the role of diversity and inclusion in the pilot program. Considerations included how to reach more women and people of color, not only through the TLL, but also by bringing more representation when it comes to what start-ups, existing small businesses, and trainers in clean technology solutions are hosted at the library. Everyone worked on figuring out how to create more meeting spaces for collaboration and getting the word out to these specific communities.

Going forward, SBC will continue working with current TLL users, clean technology solution providers, and local municipalities and schools to expand the reach of the TLL. New tool manufacturers and interested tool borrowers across all demographics will continue to be sought after to share their ideas and expertise on what clean energy projects are being targeted for commercial buildings. Stay tuned for an upcoming detailed report on these workshops.

This blog was written by Michael Oliver, SBC intern with the South Seattle College Sustainable Building Science Technology Program.

To learn more about the TLL or how to become an SBC partner, please visit www.smartbuildingscenter.org.

SBX2021 Session Highlight: Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings

June 29, 2021 By Britton Rife

Join the conversation about the role of smarter buildings in a changing energy landscape at the free virtual Smart Buildings Exchange August 24^th and 25^th! During Day 1, experts from the utility and building owner/manager sectors will discuss grid-interactive efficient buildings and the opportunites they provide for performance and accelerating smart cities and the clean energy transition.

Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings; August 24th, 10:30 am
Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB) are changing the historic relationship between the electric utility and the buildings they serve. Today, utilities face unprecedented challenges – and opportunities – to modernize their infrastructure, eliminate carbon emissions, and remain reliable, resilient, and affordable in their energy services. Creating a smarter and more dynamic two-way communication environment with their customers offers a smart approach to building the 21st century electric utility. GEBs deploy smart technology that allow building operators to shed, shift, and modulate their building loads in response to electric grid reliability, price signals, and operational needs. This will be ever more important as electric vehicle charging becomes more common. Building owners can optimize their operations and their energy costs especially in the emerging trend toward dynamic pricing structures for electricity. This session will bring together expertise from both the utility and the building owner/manager perspective to talk about the value streams inherent in GEBs.

Panelists include Cara Carmichael, Rocky Mountain Institute, James Dice, Nexus Labs, Dr. Ahmad Faruqui, The Brattle Group, and Mary Ann Piette, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The discussion will be moderated by Lucie Huang from Seattle City Light.

View the full conference agenda and register for free today!