The Long Island Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers welcomed Mr. Antonio Saillant, a well-known filmmaker, entrepreneur, engineer, consultant and speaker, who presented on “Sustainability in Films, TV, and Broadway” at our meeting on Earth Day, Friday April 22, 2022.

Mr. Saillant earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at New York Institute of Technology. He was a top executive for over 15 years in the energy field, managing over $1 billion in both the private and public sector. His specialties included energy conservation, energy supply management and energy infrastructure.

He then changed careers to the entertainment industry. He entered the TVI Actors Studio in New York City for two years and then went to Los Angeles and joined the AIA Actors Studio. He appeared in movies and television, including The Sopranos; The Interpreter (with director Sydney Pollack, Nicole Kidman, and Sean Penn); Jersey Girl (with director Kevin Smith, Jennifer Lopez); All My Children; and As the World Turns.

On Monday March 28, 2022, we welcomed our own Chapter President Dr. Robert Amundsen, who presented on “Disguised Infrastructure: Minimizing Visual Impacts”.  This study explores options for changing the appearance of infrastructure in order to facilitate public acceptance and enhance the quality of life in communities.

Dr. Amundsen is Director of the M.S. in Energy Management program at the NYIT College of Engineering and Computing Sciences and past recipient of the Environmental Educator of the Year Award, and the Energy Professional Development Award. Dr. Amundsen earned a B.S. in Physics and Astronomy and a B.S. in Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Rochester, followed by an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Energy Management and Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2018, he was elected to the AEE Energy Managers Hall of Fame, which recognizes “outstanding leaders in the energy industry who over their lifetimes have made significant contributions in the field of energy management.” He is among a small number of energy professionals who have been accepted as a Fellow of the AEE.

At our Zoom meeting on Monday November 22, 2021, we were pleased to welcome Adrienne Esposito from the Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), a non-profit organization working in NY and CT to protect natural resources and public health.  Adrienne presented on the current status of off-shore wind development on Long Island.

Adrienne holds a degree in Geology and Environmental Science from CW Post University.  She is a co-founder of CCE and has worked on numerous environmental campaigns over the past 30 years.

You are hereby invited to “virtually” join the Long Island Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers at the upcoming 2021 NYIT Energy Conference on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 from 1-3 PM EDT, which will be virtual this year.

Here is the link to the Conference. Registration is free to students and $25 for alumni and Public.

https://content.campaign.nyit.edu/vo/?FileID=53121d5e-81c0-4650-88ec-968d762462fb&m=9621729d-ec81-45dc-be90-82cc6ee9f162&MailID=2945238&listid=124260&RecipientID=6287841599

After registration, you will be sent an email with the information and link for participation.

We were pleased to welcome Laurie Florence, Principal Engineer for Stationary & Motive Batteries, ESS and Fuel Cells for UL, who presented on “Battery Energy Storage Systems – The State of Safety”.

Battery energy storage systems have gone from being a demo project or novelty addition to support renewable energy to a necessity for renewable energy installations and other areas of support for the grid.  Battery energy storage systems are also being installed with increasing frequency in residential applications to support solar systems.  Many of these systems rely upon lithium ion batteries as their battery storage technology.  What is being done to address the safety of these devices, whether they are for utility, commercial/industrial or residential application?  UL has been in the forefront of ensuring battery energy storage safety. During this presentation, Laurie Florence will provide an overview of the progress made with codes and standards including UL 9540, Standard for Energy Storage Systems and Equipment and UL 9540A, Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runaway Fire Propagation in Battery Energy Storage Systems, the NFPA 855, NFPA 70. NFPA 1 and ICC IFC codes, and challenges with testing of these systems.

Laurie Florence is a UL Corporate Fellow and UL’s Principal Engineer for stationary/motive batteries and ESS.  Laurie has over 30 years of experience in product safety and standards development. She represents UL on a variety of UL standards technical panels including 1973/1989, 1974, 2580/2271, 810/810A/810B, 2267 and 9540/9540A – as well as other industry standards and battery committees across ANSI, SAE, ISO, IEC, IECEE, CSA, and NFPA.  Laurie is also the chair of IEC SC21A, convener for IEC SC21A WG 5  and a member of IEC TC 120.

The presentation provided a good understanding of standards and code that impact energy storage and the steps being taken to ensure safety.

ZOOM meeting on Monday March 22, 2021 at 7 PM.

We were pleased to welcome Vincent Benini, VP of Customer Solutions at PositivEnergy, a NY-born battery solutions provider.

With the ever-increasing deployment of distributed energy resources, Energy Storage has gained significant media attention as the critical next frontier in the transition to a clean energy economy. Many are familiar with the idea of a battery charging when power is cheap and discharging when power is expensive but how does that manifest in practice and what do the specific revenue streams look like for Commercial & Industrial scale clients?  PositivEnergy’s Vincent Benini presented about Battery Storage in the C&I marketplace covering the following technical and economic topics:  Industry Background, Current Technology, Revenue Streams, Applicable Markets, Project Implementation, and the Future of the Industry.

At our ZOOM meeting on Monday November 23, 2020, the Long Island Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers welcomed Jonathan Hu, Senior Project Specialist for New York Energy Manager (NYEM), a virtual energy management information service, who presented on “Tracking Carbon Emissions using the NYEM Platform”

NYPA’s new Customer Digital Experience program provides digital tools to help customers track carbon emissions reductions and the status of their energy efficiency projects. The program complements the NY Energy Manager platform, which provides free real-time access to an advanced data platform for most public buildings in New York to address the state’s mandated energy goals.

Jonathan Hu is the Senior Project Specialist for New York Energy Manager (NYEM), a virtual energy management information service. He is a registered Professional Engineer, Certified Energy Manager, Certified Building Commissioning Professional, and Multi-Family Building Operator. Mr. Hu has over 10 years of professional experience in energy efficiency and is responsible for training and advising building operators and facility managers. His wide range of career experiences is an effort to better understand the energy industry holistically and push energy efficiency into the next generation.