Editor’s Comments: The Perfect Storm, Imperfect Backup
By Elizabeth Cutright
Every region suffers from its fair share of catastrophes-be it wildfires in the West, hurricanes in the gulf, or tornadoes along the central plains. Apparently, we can now add “superstorms” to the list, after what’s now being called Superstorm Sandy devastated the East Coast in October. According to the latest numbers, Superstorm Sandy was one of the costliest storms in US history (behind only Hurricane Katrina in some analysis). The recovery numbers are eye-popping: $5060 billion according to most estimates, and that’s not including the unquantifiable human toll.
While the reach and breadth of Superstorm Sandy was unparalleled (the storm stretched over 900 miles at one point, generating hurricane force winds over the great lakes and storm surges along the New Jersey coast simultaneously), the impact on power systems was by no means capricious or arbitrary. And when it comes to issues of energy reliability and the role of distributed energy in a future “smart grid,” the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy provides ample opportunity to study, prepare, and reconsider our emergency strategies and tactics.
Of course, in the face of an extreme weather event like Sandy, power interruptions seem inevitable. Nevertheless, those photos of a mostly darkened Manhattan skyline not only emphasized the impact of citywide outages, but also highlighted the foresight of those buildings and facilities managers who’s sky-rises were still alight-thanks to backup power.
In fact, as Forbes‘ William Pentland points out, “While short-term focus should remain on restoring power where it was lost, the long-term strategy for avoiding future train wrecks like those that resulted from Hurricane Sandy begins not where electric power was lost, but where it wasn’t.”
One place the power stayed on…Co-Op City.
Co-Op City sits on 330-acres just outside the Bronx, northeast of New York City. Inside this “city-within-a-city,” there are 14,000 apartment units, 35 high-rises, eight parking garages, three shopping centers, a high school, two junior-highs, and three grammar schools: all powered by an onsite CHP power pant. The cogeneration facility provides 40 MW of power to Co-Op, come rain shine or…apparently…hurricane. And while much of the New York State’s urban landscape was mottled by blackouts, for Co-Op City’s 60,000 residents, the lights stayed on.
In Pentland’s article, Herb Freedman, a principal of Marion Real Estate Inc. (which manages Co-op City for the Riverbay Corporation), explains the scenario the city faced as the storm made landfall: “Hurricane Sandy hit Co-Op City about as hard as it hit most anywhere else in New York City, but everybody in Co-op City had power before, during, and after the storm. “
Is Co-Op city the future of urban planning? On any given day, the CHP power plant provides enough power for every resident and business, with enough left over to sell electricity back to Con Ed’s main grid. And when Sandy challenged-and in some places decimated-local power infrastructure, Co-Op city kept chugging along, even in the face of gale fore winds and historic storm surges.
As Pentland explains, Co-Op City’s superstorm performance, “provides a point of departure for how best to prevent the next Hurricane Sandy from becoming a catastrophe.”
Of course backup power is not infallible. Out at the Coney Island Hospital, generators were failing and patients and staff alike were stranded as first responders struggled to reach them. Meanwhile, over at NYU Langone Medical Center, evacuations began late in the evening after that facility’s onsite power systems also went down. While the facility had made improvements post Hurricane Irene-including moving to rooftop generators, equipping its backup system with water-resistant fuel pumps, and moving essential equipment to street level, the Huffington Post reports, “a portion of the hospital’s power distribution circuits, which direct the generated electricity out into various areas of the hospital, were located in the hospital’s basement”.
And so even the best laid plans can suffer from an Achilles heel, and anyone who’s made it through any severe weather event or other unpredictable occurrence, knows the one thing we can all depend upon is that, no matter what, power and water delivery systems will be challenged, and most likely found wanting. It is during these times that onsite power becomes an invaluable asset.
It’s hard to argue-when the lights flicker and the infrastructure’s threatened-against the notion that onsite power systems are the best option when it comes to disaster preparedness. So how can we make sure emergency backup power systems are more widespread not just amongst critical services (like data centers and hospitals), but amongst small businesses and even large-scale commercial enterprises? Should the focus be on increased federal funding and/or tax breaks to help businesses large and small implement emergency backup measures? And how can those of us involved with distributed energy more effectively make the case that onsite power is the best option when it comes to emergency planning and a possible future of ever more severe and unpredictable climate conditions?
Author’s Bio: Elizabeth Cutright is a previous editor of Distriduted Energy magazine.