South Korea launches energy savings project in Chicago

Owners of some of Chicago's skyscrapers are hoping to tap into new technology that — by dimming lights or lowering water temperature on a massive scale — would dramatically cut energy usage and save millions of dollars.
The $25 million technology project is being bankrolled by the Republic of Korea, which has agreed to install energy-saving equipment in up to 14 Chicago buildings during the next few months at a cost of between $10 million and $20 million. The remaining money is pledged to Illinois colleges for research and development related to smart-grid technology.
Officials from Illinois and South Korea on Wednesday signed an agreement for the project at the Aon Center, one of the buildings being considered for the pilot project.

The Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago, which represents most of Chicago's downtown buildings said if the project were expanded to the entire downtown, the energy savings would be enough to shutter a coal-fired power plant. The project promises to position Illinois as a leader in smart-grid development, research and development, and related jobs.
South Korea has invested billions in the technology. It is wiring homes and buildings on its island of Jeju as a demonstration project that involves about 6,000 homes. They are being supplied with home appliances, TVs, electric vehicles and even wind mills that communicate with the electrical grid. South Korea plans to expand the smart grid to the entire country by 2030.
In Chicago, people working in the skyscrapers in the pilot might not notice the automated tweaks. The technology enables buildings to communicate back and forth with operators of the electric grid, drawing down power during peak demand hours that reap payments for "returning" energy to the constantly fluctuating power market, said Michael Cornicelli, executive vice president of BOMA/Chicago, whose members represent most of Chicago's office buildings.
"This has been done on a very limited basis in campuslike settings or individual office buildings, but not to this scale," he said.
Between four and 14 buildings will be selected for the project, Cornicelli said, mostly commercial office buildings but also large residential buildings. South Korean engineers are expected to complete their evaluation of 20 buildings whose owners have volunteered for the project this month. Except for the Aon Center, Cornicelli did not identify the buildings being considered.

source:Chicago Tribune