Mark Whitlock’s Post

🙌 Congratulations to three of our region's postsecondary education institutions (Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Blue Ridge Community College, and Western Carolina University) for their significant energy reductions! They were among 13 agencies, community colleges, and universities recognized last month by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality for reducing their energy consumption. Western Carolina University had a 55 percent energy reduction from baseline, which is the highest reduction within the UNC System. Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College had a 50 percent energy reduction from baseline. Blue Ridge Community College was the most improved community college in comparison to the previous year’s reduction (15 percent improvement). https://lnkd.in/emukfHUp

At Longfellow Elementary school there was a kid who called himself “Mr. Germs” because he loved to play in the mud and find worms - teachers yelled “you’ll get germs!” Now I have a colleague who goes by “Dr. DERMS - a deserved title as he does hold a PhD in EE - DERMS and helped develop our DERMS solution. 😆 Amidst the #energytransition, #DERMS allow #utility operators to optimize their operations by making better, more informed decisions. #Utilities #Power #Electrification

🌍 I found this intro video on RECs to be informative, espically since this is something we at First Climate talk about everyday. Curious about Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and their pivotal role in the renewable energy landscape? 🌞💨 Check out this quick and informative video that explains the environmental and non-power attributes of renewable electricity generation. "Renewable Energy Certificates, also known as RECs, represent the environmental and other non-power attributes of renewable electricity generation and are a component of all renewable electricity products. Each REC signifies a specific amount of electricity produced and delivered to the power grid by renewable resources like wind or solar. 🍃⚡ This video by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides valuable insights into their significance in the renewable electricity market. 🌐 Don't miss out on this educational opportunity and then reach out to me and we can discuss how RECs can become a vital part of your buisness. #renewableenergy #sustainability #recs #greenenergy #climateaction #business #energy #energyprocurement #scope2 #makeadifference

☀️ The 22nd edition of the ERRA #SummerSchool: Introduction to #EnergyRegulation lead by László Szabó is 2 months away. 🎯 Learn more about our key training for junior energy professionals and register here: https://lnkd.in/gavAAWVW

My research paper on optimizing algorithms for PV-TEG systems.

Join us, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Schools program, and UndauntedK12 on May 7th as we provide an overview of new opportunities to drive investment into your school districts. School leaders and partners involved in financing, capital planning, facilities, and sustainability are invited to join us for an overview of new clean energy tax credits for schools. Unlimited and non-competitive clean energy tax credits are available for the first time to tax-exempt entities, due to the Inflation Reduction Act. As such, schools are now eligible to receive a non-competitive cash payment from the IRS for eligible clean energy investments, including for up to 70% cash reimbursement. From solar, geothermal, and other renewables to energy storage, these credits can support schools in accessing clean technologies. This webinar will provide insight into which credits are available and how it can be incorporated into project planning or applied to ongoing projects. Richard Best, the Director of Capital Projects and Planning at Seattle Public Schools will share his perspective on how leveraging the clean energy tax credits can save the school district money on the up-front costs of new equipment and on long-term energy savings. Register for free here: https://lnkd.in/dvpQ8NBZ

Summer season is almost over, and with it I cannot miss the opportunity to praise Saule Gudziute for defending successfully her MSc thesis "Optimal sizing of co-located wind-energy storage farm to reduce wind curtailment". Personally, it has been a very interesting project, which can help a broad audience in the wind industry since the common problem of curtailment, and tackled by a motivated student! This thesis investigated the mitigation strategies of energy curtailment through the use of energy storage technologies and their sizing when co-located with an offshore wind farm. An optimization algorithm was developed to determine the energy storage size for three different scenarios: total curtailment mitigation, curtailment mitigation subject to technical storage constraints, and curtailment mitigation considering both technical and economical factors of the energy storage. During her MSc thesis, Saule compared and sized three different storage technologies (Li-ion batteries, flow batteries, and liquid air energy storage), considering their technical constraints. Later on, she introduced a cost per MWh curtailed, along with a cost per MW and MWh of energy storage installed, thus making the sizing algorithm subject to both technical and economical aspects. This MSc thesis is a fantastic example of how a supervisor can learn so much during a thesis project. Even though co-supervising Saule, so helping and supporting her work throughout the whole period, I must admit I have been learning quite a lot from both the topic itself, and the coding perspective too. Saule managed to summarize clearly and concisely the problem of wind curtailment in the UK, and presented majestically her work on her defense day! The supervisors team was composed of: - Tomasz Jerominek, Senior Energy Storage Engineer representing Ørsted. - Jan Martin Zepter (PostDoc) and Mattia Marinelli (Associate Professor) representing DTU Wind and Energy Systems. A special thank goes to Frank Martin, Chief Grid Specialist at European Energy, for censoring the MSc thesis defense. Finally, the thesis can be found at https://lnkd.in/d-W3M55X Ørsted DTU Wind and Energy Systems #ørsted #dtudk #phdlife #energystorage #windfarm #optimization #curtailment

One of my recent publications

Measurement Techniques in Wind Energy Module

Excerpt from the article: "this opportunity focused on helping K-12 public school districts across America make energy upgrades to decrease energy use and costs, improve indoor air quality, and foster healthier learning environments." UVC hits all three of these! ✅ decreases energy use ✅ improves IAQ ✅ creates healthier learning environments #IAQ #EnergySavings #ROI #NoBrainer #UVC #UVGI