Energy Futures

WEEC 2018 RECAP

By Joel Nelson on Oct 31, 2018 in Energy, News

The recent World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC) 2018 in Charlotte, N.C., addressed factors that impact an organization’s energy performance. we asked Christy Cannon, an account executive for Yardi Energy, about her experience at one of the year’s major energy conferences and technology expositions.

Christy, what did you gain from the conference?

Cannon: The classes are very beneficial to me because it’s a conference by and for energy managers. This is my wheelhouse! I’ve been doing energy management for almost 20 years and attending this conference for almost a decade. I’m also proud that Yardi has supported the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), presenter of the conference, for years by sending attendees and serving as a corporate sponsor.

Q: Why was this year’s WEEC special for Yardi?

A: This was the first time Yardi Energy had a booth at WEEC. Also, all nine of our group are certified as energy managers by AEE: Kushal Shah, Rahsan Stewart, Ray Segars, Alex Gonzalez, Arturo Perea, Ankita Gupta, Dan Rice, Dan Cordero and me. When I joined Yardi in 2012 I was the company’s only Certified Energy Manager. The addition of eight CEMs reflects Yardi’s commitment to supporting clients’ energy management and sustainability needs.

Q: What were the main takeaways from the conference?

A: Presenters outlined three trends to watch for in 2019. One is the evolution of blockchain, whose potential application to the energy industry includes microgrids comprising multiple buildings, each of which having their own generation, that enable peer-to-peer energy trading with no utility involvement. Generation capacity, pricing, and transaction details could be shared with everyone in the microgrid in real time. It also has potential scalability and security advantages.

Q: What was the second key trend?

A: The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping energy demand management. AI takes all the big data our structures collect from internet of things (IoT) devices, building automation systems and submeters, then learns to predict future outcomes or make decisions based on the best available options.  Multiple presenters stated that AI is fueling a new industrial revolution. AI will influence virtually every aspect of energy, especially demand management. For example, consider the multiple factors that affect a building’s comfort—insulation, humidity, direct sunlight, occupancy and much more. AI can learn the cause and effect between all of them and make decisions that not only ensure the next five minutes are comfortable, but also the next five hours, using the least amount of energy. AI might also improve reliability by learning such things as individual load patterns, creating self-healing networks after faults and providing more sophisticated real-time forecasting. Readers probably know about Yardi’s involvement in AI, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning optimizatio

Q: And the third?

A: The shift from environmental sustainability to a broader corporate vision. Ten years ago, for example, most companies focused on tracking greenhouse gas emissions, year-over-year utility consumption and the like. Today, just tracking building performance isn’t enough. Companies want sustainability programs that are good for occupants and the community at large, not just the building. Tracking and reporting now include data on portfolio holdings’ risk for land contamination, floods, pollution and access to public transportation to name just a few performance indicators. This expands the concept of sustainability as it relates to the environment to avoiding poor brand image, risky property acquisitions and questionable ethics that are ultimately unsustainable, regardless of how much you reduced your building’s electricity consumption.

Q: Did you capture some of your Yardi colleagues’ impressions of WEEC 2018?

A: Yes. Here’s what Ankita Gupta, senior energy engineer, had to say: “I am always excited to attend WEEC. The sessions provide insightful knowledge about the current energy industry and emerging trends, as well as the future! Sessions that impressed me where the talks on blockchain and bitcoin technology and how they can be used for increasing energy efficiency.”

Dan Rice, client service manager: “There were many people from other countries such as India, Jamaica and Chile. Just goes to show that we have a solution to global challenges!”

Ray Segars, Professional Services Group consultant: “I was really impressed by all the advances and offerings in IoT, AI and energy storage.  This leads me to believe that products such as Yardi Pulse put us on the right track to respond to market needs.”

Explore the energy solutions that Yardi shared at WEEC 2018.