SAN FRANCISCO: How Redwood City's Going Green
Over the past decade, demand charges in California have been growing by more than 7% annually, according to Green Charge Networks CEO Vic Shao. In response, his company has been installing GreenStations, which store energy to offset demand charges, in municipalities and for companies like 7-Eleven and Walgreens. (Its first Walgreens installation was at a store in Yonkers, NY last month.) Redwood City is the latest, installing a 30 kW system in its downtown and library, expected to save the city 50% in demand charges annually, he says. (With all those savings, surely you could forgive our six-year library late fee... we just love The Phantom Tollbooth.) Over the next four months, California will get 21 more installations, with five soon announced in the Bay Area.
