Commercial, Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions  -  January 22, 2024

Beverly Hilton, Waldorf Astoria Hotels Lower Emissions

The Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria installed an energy-savings solution at their hotels that lowers the need for air conditioning during peak electric demand, reducing GHG emissions, energy use and costs. 

The installation of the  Nostromo Energy's IceBrick system was conducted by Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), which will also receive incentives from the California Public Utilities Commission's (CPUC) Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), which is administered by SoCalGas. 

SoCalGas assisted Nostromo Energy in applying for incentive funding and in the project's technical development. The SGIP program now includes Large Thermal Energy Storage Systems, with Nostromo Energy's system being the first approved for participation under this category. 

"SoCalGas supports a variety of innovations aimed at bolstering the strength and resilience of our energy grid," said Don Widjaja, Vice President of Customer Solutions at SoCalGas in a statement. "The IceBrick system serves as a prime example, as it not only helps advance California's climate goals, but helps address the challenges of electricity demand fluctuations throughout the day. Through collaboration with various industry stakeholders, we're supporting diverse solutions with the goal to obtain a more reliable, resilient, and sustainable energy future."

Nostromo Energy's technology uses electricity from the grid during off-peak hours to convert water into ice. This "cold energy" is stored in modular cells and is later released during peak demand hours. This method can cool the building's air conditioning system without relying on power-intensive chillers.

SGIP is designed to incentivize generation and storage technologies, including projects fueled by renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen, which aim to reduce greenhouse gases, increase grid reliability, and provide customer bill savings and resiliency during electric grid-outage events.  

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