Improve Reliability & Safety
With the right solution in place, you can trust that your energy operations are in good hands.
Challenges in Reliability and Safety
When it comes to energy systems and infrastructure, safety and reliability are of upmost importance for building owners and managers.
Vicinity takes on this major worry – assuring continuous, optimal energy operations while meeting or exceeding safety and environmental regulations to guarantee the safety, reliability, and compliance of your building’s energy system.
Gain Peace of Mind Via Customized Solutions
Whether you connect to our district energy networks, outsource your energy operations and maintenance (O&M) to us, implement a microgrid with us, or apply our remote monitoring services, Vicinity offers a full array of customized solutions to ensure that your energy operations remain both reliable and safe.
Advantages to Partnering With Vicinity to Improve Reliability & Safety
Avoid Interruptions
In the event of a power outage, extreme climate event, or supply interruption from the public grid, Vicinity’s district energy and microgrid solutions provide uninterrupted energy to ensure you stay up and running.
Licensed and Trained Energy Experts
Keep your energy operations at peak reliability, and safety by relying on Vicinity’s experts. Our highly-trained employees are certified in confined space rescue, hazmat, CPR/first aid, COVID-19 safety practices and protocol, hot work permits, environmental practices, and more. Our personnel training meets or exceeds OSHA, DEP, and PUC guidance.
Rely on N+1 Redundancy
Our district energy systems have the capacity to meet our customers’ full energy loads with layers of back-up infrastructure ready to go online if any one piece of equipment begins to fail. In the case of an extreme weather event, our redundant network is designed so that we can isolate parts of the system to perform maintenance or to protect the network. Our systems can be restored to full service much faster than other utilities.
Reduce Risk of Failure
Remove the risk of potential failures with onsite boiler and chiller plants through district energy, a microgrid solution, or our skilled O&M operators. Our O&M solutions range from traditional onsite services to remote monitoring.
Eliminate Onsite Combustion
Reduce your environmental and safety risks and insurance costs by eliminating onsite boiler and/or chiller plants and seamlessly connecting to one of our district energy systems.
Depend on 99.99% Uptime
Our proven district energy technology and systems provide 99.99% reliable delivery of clean energy to buildings, 24/7, through the use of multiple steam and chilled water facilities, and water and fuel sources, including the use of renewable biofuels. We maintain 10+ days of onsite fuel storage and makeup water capacity.
Assure Environmental Checks
Vicinity employs a team of Environmental, Health, and Safety (EH&S) experts who are fully trained and dedicated to ensuring no hazardous materials are introduced to the environment and that emissions are controlled, monitored, and recorded continuously.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The benefits of electrification are numerous.
- No expensive retrofits – We eliminate the challenge of converting individual buildings. This solution is faster, more cost-competitive, and less capital intensive than building retrofits under mandates.
- Existing infrastructure – We will use our network of underground pipes to deliver clean, carbon-free steam to customers. Further, many of our facilities have existing electric substations and transmission lines, so no additional investment is needed to access renewable electrons.
- Cleaner air – We eliminate new gas “stacks” and fossil-burning infrastructure in individual buildings. Communities benefit from cleaner energy sources, which improve city air quality and remove particulates and other pollutants from our neighborhoods.
- More affordable – Because Vicinity has access to wholesale renewable power, we can procure electricity at much lower rates than the average consumer. Further, Vicinity intends to purchase a lot of its power overnight when prices are lower and store it when our customers need it.
- Reliability – Our ability to fuel switch allows us to be more reliable than other onsite alternatives. Vicinity’s system has built-in redundancies and will continue to access backup fuels as needed in emergencies.
As part of Vicinity’s electrification plan, we plan to install molten salt or molten silica thermal batteries, which are an excellent means of storing heat. This technology will allow us to procure renewable electrons when prices are low (typically overnight), produce the thermal energy, and store it so that it’s available when our customers need it.
District energy provided multiple advantages:
- Freedom from asset ownership and the costs associated with maintenance
- Wholesale energy pricing and stability
- Efficient energy delivery
- Greater reliability and redundancy in energy supply
- Reduced carbon footprint
Quickly. District energy systems can isolate issues and have built-in redundancy to leverage multiple generating assets and fuel, power, and water sources to maintain reliable service even in the most demanding weather events.
If a piece of equipment or utility source is compromised or experiencing any issues, the system can continue to operate by drawing from its backup sources and infrastructure. With insulated carbon steel conduit piping encased in concrete, a district energy network’s distribution system is more robust and resilient than conventional utility alternatives, even during extreme weather events.
Yes. Unlike onsite generation – which intrinsically involves onsite combustion as part of the energy generation process – district energy is a safer alternative. With district energy, thermal energy is produced at a central facility and distributed to individual buildings via underground piping, eliminating the safety risks associated with onsite generation.