Tag: Kansas City
Vicinity Energy Awarded with Outstanding Mechanical Installation Award in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, June 21, 2022 – Vicinity Energy has received an Outstanding Mechanical Installation (OMI) Award in the large mechanical project class by the Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Kansas City, Missouri, for its chilled water lateral expansion completed in collaboration with Enerfab and Davidson Architecture + Engineering.
The OMI Awards recognize the best mechanical projects completed in the last three years in the Kansas City Area. Projects are evaluated based on the complexity, quality, serviceability, and overall difficulty of the challenges involved.
The project expanded Vicinity’s district energy system piping 12,000 ft. to serve chilled water to the west side of Kansas City’s Central Business District. In conjunction with contractors Enerfab and engineers at Davidson Architecture + Engineering, the project included the interconnection of the first three customer buildings to be served by the lateral expansion: Flashcube apartments, KC Downtown Convention Center Hotel, and the MC Realty-owned 114 W. 11th Street.
With a commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Vicinity Energy is currently electrifying its district energy systems in Boston and Cambridge with its other locations to follow. The company’s multi-pronged decarbonization and electrification plan includes installing innovative technologies such as electric boilers, industrial-scale heat pumps, and thermal storage. As a key part of this strategy, Vicinity announced the launch of eSteam™, the first-ever carbon-free thermal energy product powered by renewable energy.
Over the next few years, Vicinity’s Kansas City operations will begin to procure renewable energy sources and work towards rapidly decarbonizing buildings connected to the district energy system in the city.
“We are honored to be recognized by the Mechanical Contractors Association of Kansas City,” said Scott Stordahl, general manager for Vicinity Energy. “This project involved a lot of hard work and collaboration from our team and partners, and we’re proud to expand our offering of reliable chilled water to more Kansas City buildings.”
Click here to read more about Vicinity’s district energy systems and its commitment to innovation and the environment.
About Vicinity Energy
Vicinity Energy is a clean energy company that owns and operates an extensive portfolio of district energy systems across the United States. Vicinity produces and distributes reliable, clean steam, hot water, and chilled water to over 250 million square feet of building space nationwide. Vicinity continuously invests in its infrastructure and the latest technologies to accelerate the decarbonization of commercial and institutional buildings in city centers. Vicinity is committed to achieving net zero carbon across its portfolio by 2050. To learn more, visit https://www.vicinityenergy.us or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Media Contact
Vicinity Energy
Sara DeMille
Marketing and Communications
857-955-5073
sara.demille@vicinityenergy.us
District energy and its importance to a greener future
In this interview with Capital Analytics, Chief Customer Officer of Vicinity Energy Jackie Bliss discusses why district energy will be crucial to decarbonization efforts, as well as the current status of women leadership in the energy and utilities sector.
How century-old ‘district energy’ networks can help decarbonize cities
A clean energy future is in our grasp
By taking action and implementing a host of innovative energy strategies and technologies, Vicinity is leading the way to building decarbonization.
District energy is key to addressing our energy and climate challenges
This short video published by the International District Energy Association showcases the important role district energy plays in a clean energy future, through job creation, cutting carbon emissions and enhancing resiliency.
Vicinity Energy Secures 20-Year Contract to Expand District Energy Service to Kansas City’s Hotel Phillips
KANSAS CITY, September 8, 2021 – Vicinity Energy, owner and operator of the nation’s largest portfolio of district energy systems, has secured a new 20-year contract with Kansas City’s Hotel Phillips. Vicinity Energy will now expand its existing steam service to Hotel Phillips to also include chilled water used for cooling.
Once the tallest building in Kansas City, the 1930’s Art Deco-style hotel has opted to swap out its onsite chillers (comprising 190 tons of annual self-generated cooling) with piped-in chilled water service from Vicinity’s robust district chilled water network. Chilled water service became a viable option for Hotel Phillips due to a major chilled water expansion project completed in 2016, which expanded Vicinity’s service to the west side of Kansas City’s downtown. Benefits of this transition for the hotel include forgoing the imminent major capital cost of replacing its aging cooling tower, improved operational efficiency and reliability, and eliminating the need to house, operate and maintain (O&M) large onsite chilling equipment. This switch will substantially reduce upfront capital expenses, associated O&M costs and free up space that can now be used for the hotel’s core operations. Additionally, switching to Vicinity’s district chilled water will yield a sizable reduction in the hotel’s water and energy consumption, as well as an estimated 50% cut in carbon emissions, resulting in a net environmental benefit to the city.
Vicinity Energy has invested significant capital in an expansion on 12th Street to connect Hotel Phillips to the current chilled water line that runs down Wyandotte Street. Construction on this expansion began in June 2021 and was completed in August 2021. Construction also includes street repairs, landscaping and beautification, for the benefit of the entire community.
“Vicinity is proud to expand our relationship with the Hotel Phillips to provide clean, reliable, efficient chilled water service to this renowned and historic Kansas City landmark,” said Jaclyn Bliss, chief revenue officer of Vicinity Energy. “Having served the Hotel Phillips with steam for over two decades, this is a natural marriage; Vicinity can help the hotel keep guests cool and comfortable, while also saving the hotel time, money and space that they can now dedicate to providing the unique, superior guest experience that they’re known for.”
“We’re excited to grow our energy partnership with Vicinity Energy,” said Hotel Phillips General Manager John Glenn of Arbor Lodging Partners LLC. “We’ve been very happy with our longstanding steam service from Vicinity, and look forward to the additional efficiency, reliability and peace of mind we can expect from their chilled water service. Keeping our guests comfortable is our number one priority and we’re also so proud to be reducing our carbon footprint in the process.”
Vicinity Energy provides district steam and hot and chilled water services to over 4 million square feet of space in Kansas City. Due to its superior and efficient central cogeneration operations, Vicinity reduces the region’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by 33,000 tons annually, the equivalent of removing 7,100 cars off Kansas City roads each year. To learn more about how Vicinity is further greening its operations, check out Vicinity’s Clean Energy Future plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
About Vicinity Energy
Vicinity Energy is a clean energy company that owns and operates an extensive portfolio of district energy systems across the United States. Vicinity produces and distributes reliable, clean steam, hot water, and chilled water to over 250 million square feet of building space nationwide. Vicinity continuously invests in its infrastructure and the latest technologies to accelerate the decarbonization of commercial and institutional buildings in city centers. Vicinity is committed to achieving net zero carbon across its portfolio by 2050. To learn more, visit https://www.vicinityenergy.us or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Media Contact
Vicinity Energy
Sara DeMille
Marketing and Communications
857-955-5073
sara.demille@vicinityenergy.us
Why university energy P3 deals are on the rise
Why university energy P3 deals are on the rise
On this episode, Brian Mueller, Chief Development Officer of Vicinity Energy, discusses the rise of energy public-to-private partnerships (P3) at universities in the U.S. Brian shares why colleges and universities are turning to P3 arrangements to accelerate the development of their next generation energy systems – and why this makes a lot of good sense.
About Crossroads: The Infrastructure Podcast
Crossroads is a podcast from the Inframation editorial team exploring the latest news and trends in the acquisition of infrastructure operational assets and companies. Established in 2002, Inframation is dedicated to the global infrastructure finance market, covering greenfield, brownfield and refinancing transactions. Hosted by Jon Berke, the editor of Inframation, Americas, the podcast explores topics ranging from commercial real estate to project finance and infrastructure funds.
A high energy conversation with Bill DiCroce
Dynamic districts, January 2021
by Energy Cast | Episode 105
In this episode of Energy Cast, host Jay Dauenhauer sits down with CEO, president and chairman Bill DiCroce from Vicinity Energy. Bill shares his thoughts on district energy networks, underscoring Vicinity’s pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and how the company and district energy is uniquely positioned to rapidly expand and deploy renewable strategies and energy sources to local cities and communities.
About Energy Cast
Energy cast is a podcast about the energy sector, with particular focus on business, policy and economic issues. Hosted by Jay Dauenhauer, each episode examines a facet of the energy sector – coal, oil/gas, nuclear, biofuels, battery, geothermal, hydro, wind, solar, and fusion – and the opportunities and challenges of bringing these technologies to the energy mix. As host of the Energy Cast Podcast for the past four years, Jay Dauenhauer, CSM, PMP, has an extensive energy background, including previously serving as a media analyst for TXU Energy and Executive Director of the Clean Coal Technology Foundation of Texas, working with stakeholders to pass clean energy legislation for the state.
Vicinity Energy Commits to Reaching Net Zero Carbon Emissions for all Operations by 2050
BOSTON, October 22, 2020 – Vicinity Energy, the nation’s largest district energy provider, announces its plan to reach net zero carbon emissions for all of its operations by 2050.
Vicinity Energy provides heat, hot water, cooling, chilled water, sterilization and humidification to over 230 million square feet (nearly eight square miles) of customer facilities in major cities across the United States. For more than 50 years, Vicinity has adapted and innovated to deploy cleaner energy technologies and strategies as they’ve become available – helping to reduce the carbon impact in cities like Cambridge, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Kansas City. In this next phase of its long-term energy vision, the company will continue to introduce renewables into its fuel supply mix and integrate large- and small-scale combined heat and power (CHP) resources to increase the efficiency of its district energy systems.
By building on this foundation to achieve net zero carbon emissions, Vicinity is clearly focused on a greener, cleaner, more sustainable future. Key strategies in the plan include:
- Utilizing biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels
- Electrifying generation to further reduce carbon emissions as the grid gets greener
- Investing in efficiency projects and district infrastructure
- Engineering microgrid and distributed energy solutions that leverage biofuel-capable CHP systems to improve resiliency
- Purchasing renewable electricity for Vicinity plants and auxiliary assets
- Exploring other innovative technologies, such as renewable natural gas, battery storage, hydrogen, CO2-based dispatch, and more.
By formalizing its commitment, the company will continue to provide 99.99% reliable, resilient services with a lower carbon footprint at highly competitive prices in relation to other energy alternatives.
“Our goal is to preserve the environment for future generations and ensure that energy remains affordable to our customers so they can continue to put their dollars toward mission-critical core operations. As clean energy technologies continue to evolve, our team is dedicated to leading the transition to a net zero carbon future by innovating, adapting quickly to renewable strategies and developing opportunities to green our system,” said Bill DiCroce, Vicinity President and CEO. “Together with our employees and strong local partners, we will reach this goal by 2050 so that our communities can thrive in a much greener future.”
Currently, Vicinity eliminates more than 500,000 tons of CO2 annually from its operations, the equivalent of taking 110,000 cars off the road. Vicinity’s new Clean Energy Future is intended to reduce an additional 1.7 million tons of carbon across the 12 major cities where it operates, which means reducing emissions by an additional 55,000 tons every year to reach net zero carbon by 2050.
The immediate next step in the plan includes incorporating biofuels in select district energy facilities, starting this winter. For more detailed information, read the complete Vicinity Clean Energy Future.
About Vicinity Energy
Vicinity Energy is a clean energy company that owns and operates an extensive portfolio of district energy systems across the United States. Vicinity produces and distributes reliable, clean steam, hot water, and chilled water to over 230 million square feet of building space nationwide. Vicinity continuously invests in its infrastructure and the latest technologies to accelerate the decarbonization of commercial and institutional buildings in city centers. Vicinity is committed to achieving net zero carbon across its portfolio by 2050. To learn more, visit https://www.vicinityenergy.us or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Media Contact
Vicinity Energy
Sara DeMille
Marketing and Communications
857-955-5073
sara.demille@vicinityenergy.us
