by Brianna Crandall — February 19, 2014—Reflecting its belief that the use of advanced software is the next stage of energy efficiency, Green Charge Networks (GCN) has signed agreements for one megawatt (MW) of energy storage with retail chain customers and city municipalities that are seeking to reduce their electricity bills through smart grid technologies. Many businesses in California and New York City pay 40 percent or more of their monthly electric bill in “demand charges” based on their peak electricity use, notes the company. Alternatively, Green Charge Network’s proven GreenStation technology uses utility and weather data to predict peak use and store energy accordingly, reducing these demand charges and reportedly saving businesses thousands of dollars.
7-Eleven stores have been using GCN’s GreenStation successfully for the past two years. One 7-Eleven GreenStation in New York endured Hurricane Sandy and then reportedly went on to save the business 56 percent on their electricity bills during the 2013 summer heat wave. Green Charge Networks is adding to its list of customers including 7-Eleven, Walgreens, office buildings, community colleges, and municipalities, adding up to the 1 MW milestone as listed on the DOE’s Global Energy Storage Database.
America’s aging grid is in need of an update, opines GCN. Not only can smart grid technologies like GreenStation save businesses thousands of dollars on their electricity bills, they are also an important tool in both climate change adaptation and mitigation, says the company. GreenStation is designed to withstand storms as fierce as Hurricane Sandy or temperatures as extreme as the recent polar vortex.
The combination of an aging utility grid and increasing storms due to climate change can be a deadly mix, reminds GCN. Between 2003 and 2012, the United States experienced 679 major weather related outages, including seven of the 10 costliest storms in US history, according to a White House report. GCN’s GreenStation energy storage technology helps businesses regulate their energy use so that even during extreme weather events they do not pay special “demand” charges for peak energy use. If smart grid technologies like GreenStation were implemented nationally, they could save the energy equivalent of 4,000 coal plants per year, according to Energy Manager Today.
Founded in 2009, Green Charge Networks provides intelligent customer-sited energy storage, giving commercial and industrial customers control of rising demand rates on their monthly electric bills. Green Charge Networks’ product complements solar photovoltaic (PV), electric vehicle charging, and energy efficiency efforts. The GreenStation was developed in partnership with leading utilities around the country, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Fortune 500 customers. GCN is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with an office in New York City.
