Alternative Energy Solutions

Tired of the usual energy management systems, hotels turn to new technology breakthroughs that ensure long-term solutions.

By Rebecca Oliva, Technology Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 7/1/2002

As more hotels realize that the benefits of energy

solutions stretch beyond mere cost control, operators are pushing

for energy management systems that control consumption and allow new

ways to create energy. Typically, energy management systems imply

the ability to control consumption in unoccupied guestrooms, sometimes

reducing energy costs by as much as 10%. But emerging solutions promise

to be valuable investments in streamlining the control of energy in

virtually every area of hotel operations. Products that help hotels

create power from alternative sources, such as solar panels and fuel

cells, are becoming widely accepted as the cost of these solutions

comes down. With little or no capital investment, these systems can

greatly reduce costs while creating better avenues for energy supply—avenues

that help alleviate energy shortages and polluting emissions.

Other new solutions promise to save energy and costs by integrating

property systems and monitoring energy consumption. Although no alternative

energy is created, systems like these often provide a hotel with complete

energy management. Here are four energy solutions successfully implemented

by hotel properties to ensure long-term energy management.

Starwood Introduces Fuel Cell Technology

There are three reasons Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, White

Plains, New York, is planning to introduce fuel cell technology at its

Sheraton Parsippany Hotel and Sheraton Edison Hotel Raritan Center,

both in New Jersey: reduction in energy costs, reliable power and the

lack of harmful emissions.

“We are getting a cost benefit, and it is clean, green energy,” says

John Lembo, director of energy, Starwood. “We want to be on the

cutting edge of this kind of technology. This is the

future.”

Direct fuel cells generate electricity with no combustion. Lembo says

they are like large batteries that create power as long as fuel or natural

gas is supplied. Since the fuel is not burned, pollution is reduced,

and the only byproduct is water. The high level of efficiency allows

for more electrical power from less fuel, reducing energy costs for

each hotel. The fuel cell power plants to be used in a combined heat

and power application provide about 25% of the power and 25% of the

water needs for each hotel.

Starwood teamed up with Allentown, Pennsylvania-based

PPL and Danbury, Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy for the program.

In the agreement, PPL will install, own and operate the 250-kilowatt

Direct FuelCell® power

plants at both Sheraton properties. The units will be

located on the property, and are approximately the size of a railroad

car, weighing 87,000 lbs. (39,500 kg).

Since both Sheraton properties are located in New Jersey, where energy

conservation is not only encouraged, but also supported by government

grants, Lembo says it was natural to start the initiative there. Part

of the funding will come from a US$1.7 million grant given by The New

Jersey Clean Energy Program. Starwood plans to expand the program to

other brands in the United States.

Long-Term Solutions For Mauna Lani Resort

As one of the largest resorts on the 350-room Kohala Coast, occupying

3,200 acres (1,295 ha) including a golf course and spa, energy costs

for Mauna Lani Resort ran high, with 10% to 20% increases per year on

electricity alone. Furthermore, the energy shortage in Hawaii is one

of the worst in the United States. So installing a typical energy management

system in guestrooms that would reduce costs and energy usage would

help in the short term, but the resort needed more.

As a result, Mauna Lani teamed up with PowerLight,

a manufacturer of commercial-scale solar electric products and services,

to devise a long-term energy plan. “The hotel has always done the basic things to help

the environment, but it was time to do more,” says Riley Saito,

vice president and corporate controller, Mauna Lani Resort. The resort’s

parent company, Tokyu Hotels, Tokyo, Japan, mandated that its properties

do what they can to preserve the environment, Saito says. It even goes

so far as to base its company philosophy on the environment with its

motto “Toward a beautiful age.” So when the resort wanted

to install solar panels to supply some of its electricity,

it got a supportive hand.

The first of a four-part project was to install

PowerGuard, an 80-kilowatt system, which included solar panels that

sit on the resort’s roof,

capturing the sun’s energy. The PowerGuard is a photovoltaic (PV)

roof tile that delivers clean, solar electricity to the building. Each

tile encompasses PV cells that are insulated with polystyrene foam,

turning the sun’s energy into usable power. Saito says the panels

were so successful they supplied 3% of the hotel’s electricity.

In the second phase, 110-kilowatt solar panels were installed in the

golf area. Since the installation two years ago, the panels have supplied

100% of the electricity used in the clubhouse, pro shop and golf warehouse.

Since the golf area is used in the day hours only, the solar panels

overproduce energy, which allows Mauna Lani to fuel an adjoining restaurant

with the remaining 50%.

Seeing the success of using solar panels to fuel

part of the resort’s

electricity, Mauna Lani installed its third array of panels on the roofs

of 120 golf carts. The panels reduce the carts’ battery consumption

by 33%, Saito says, reducing charging time to two hours,

one-third of what it was previously. In total, electrical costs in the

golf area were cut by 50%. Saito says the lease payment of the panels

equal the electrical costs so there is an immediate breakeven.

Yet although the solar panels were producing energy, Saito says they

were capable of producing even more. In the fourth phase, the resort

installed a 250-kilowatt PowerTracker, a system that tracks the sun

as it crosses the sky. With the PowerTracker, Saito is able to get the

most out of the panels by rotating them toward the pattern of the sun.

The PowerTracker provides as much as 30% more power than fixed PV structures,

and Saito expects an ROI in about six years.

Gran Meliá Streamlines Costs

One of the most sophisticated hotels in São Paulo, the 300-room

Gran Meliá WTC is part of the city’s World Trade Center

complex. Due to its location within the complex and the humid climate

of Brazil, Gran Meliá wanted to implement a comprehensive energy

management system that would reduce operational costs

and monitor and control mixed-use areas.

The hotel turned to Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based

Johnson Controls to integrate and control the hotel’s property management, HVAC, electrical,

lighting and fire alarm systems both for guestrooms and convention facilities

through its Metasys system. The system enables Gran Meliá to

streamline energy costs and be more proactive in maintenance strategies.

Rui Manuel Oliveira, vice president of Sol Meliá—South

America, says the technology helps the hotel “deal proactively

with Brazil’s current energy crisis.”

By integrating the PMS with the Metasys system,

Gran Meliá is

able to monitor unoccupied rooms, in turn saving energy. Occupancy is

monitored through the registration system and guestroom access cards,

so each room’s HVAC and electrical systems are adjusted automatically

Palladian windows give this board room (right) a beautiful

vista of the park-like environments of the atriums.or shut off in response.

By monitoring temperatures and humidity levels, the hotel can prevent

lost profits due to mildew damage from extreme humidity levels.

As Gran Meliá worked with Johnson Controls,

both parties developed a service agreement that would put a 24-hour,

on-site call center responsible for the operation and maintenance

of the automation system. Technicians are able to monitor all systems

using the Data Visualization, which uses graphics in real time.

The system is monitored by a computerized maintenance

management system (CMMS), which triggers an alert called M-Alarm to

notify technicians of maintenance work orders and service calls. Oliveira

says the success the hotel has seen with the system has “encouraged us to explore

opportunities in new Sol Meliá managed properties.”

Hotel Grand Pacific Has Guests In Mind

When Hotel Grand Pacific went through a renovation and major expansion

in 2001, the hotel decided to update its energy management system with

one that would work best for guests and the hotel. While the climate

in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is fairly moderate, Mantell says

its main priority was comfort for guests, while controlling guestroom

energy to keep costs down.

At a cost of US$450 per room, Grand Pacific chose

INNCOM’s NT-based

smart energy management system with an interface to SAFLOK’s Windows-based

System 6000.

The combined system monitors room conditions via

infrared technology. A motion detector and body heat sensor hidden

in the thermostat and ceiling allow the hotel’s management to

detect whether the room is occupied or not.

With the system, Grand Pacific is able to reduce energy costs by lowering

guestroom temperatures until the guest checks in. Since the INNCOM system

is interfaced with the property management system, the thermostat is

adjusted automatically to a pre-set temperature for the guest.

“Having the electronic key system means far superior guest security,” says

Colin Mantell, systems manager, Hotel Grand Pacific. “Also, the

infrared network is great—it’s extremely user-friendly and

with remote troubleshooting, issues get resolved easily.” Mantell

has seen a 5% to 7% energy savings, but expects major

savings by year three.