Environmental Leader Names Denver Solar+Storage Microgrid a 2017 Project of the Year

A Panasonic-led solar-plus-storage microgrid at PeÃ±a Station NEXT, a 382-acre smart and sustainable development in Denver, has earned the title of 2017 Environmental Leader Project of the Year. Project partners include Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company, Xcel Energy, Denver International Airport, LC Fulenwider, Inc., and Younicos. Partners share microgrid assets and benefits in a multi-stakeholder "portfolio" model that helps the utility modernize and manage its electricity grid with innovative technologies, aids grid integration of solar PV, strengthens resilience (including through backup power) for customers and critical loads, and supports the sustainability goals of diverse organizations.

Organized by Environmental Leader magazine, a leading trade publication focused on corporate energy management, environmental and sustainability initiatives, the annual Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards recognize excellence and innovation in products, services and projects that support business' efforts in these areas, including positively impacting the bottom line. A panel of independent judges scored projects. Peter Bussey of LNS Research headed the panel. Judges came from across the corporate environmental and sustainability space, including: ATT, Best Buy, Caesars, Fetzer Vineyards, General Motors, Kellogg, Marriott, MillerCoors, Novartis, Safeway, Sears Holdings Corporation, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, and Tyco Global Products.

"We're honored to receive this recognition from Environmental Leader," said George Karayannis, VP of CityNOW, Panasonic's North American smart city initiative that is a driving force for a comprehensive suite of smart and sustainable solutions deployed at transit-oriented development PeÃ±a Station NEXT. "The unique approach taken with the 'portfolio' microgrid at PeÃ±a Station NEXT can shed light onto replicating and scaling similar deployments in and beyond Colorado."

The portfolio of shared assets that comprise the microgrid include:

1.6 MWdc carport solar photovoltaic (PV) system
259 kWdc rooftop solar PV array atop Panasonic's facility
Anchor electricity load at Panasonic's Technology and Business Solutions Center
1 MW / 2MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS)
Switching/control systems to operate the BESS and microgrid functionality

Unlike many microgrids that are behind the meter of a single entity-such as a military, corporate, or college campus-stakeholders "share" assets at PeÃ±a Station NEXT. For example, Denver International Airport owns the parking lot and carport structure; Xcel Energy owns and operates the solar PV system atop the structure under a long-term lease; Panasonic performs the operations and maintenance on the system.

The BESS, owned and operated by Xcel Energy, leverages the microgrid assets to perform a stack of five distinct but complementary use cases that aid grid integration of solar energy, improve power quality and reliability for C&I customers like Panasonic, and improve operations of Xcel Energy's distribution grid. The ability to stack revenue through a multi-use microgrid is key to making energy storage a more cost-effective endeavor, and the project will undergo two years of testing to analyze and review real-world performance to determine the optimal setting for the rest of the battery's estimated 10-year life span.

"Solar PV and battery energy storage systems will be core technologies in the future electricity grid," said Jamie Evans, managing director of the Energy Solutions Group at Panasonic Enterprise Solutions. "As a global player with decades of experience in both technologies, and as a solutions-focused company with strong partnerships throughout the energy industry, Panasonic is proud to partner with our fellow stakeholders at PeÃ±a to bring innovative projects like this to life."

True to the overarching theme of the Environmental Leader conference at which the award was announced, the solar+storage microgrid is also the latest testament of Panasonic's commitment to corporate sustainability. For example, Panasonic ranked #5 globally in Interbrand/Deloitte's 2014 Best Global Green Brands, and has a publicly stated sustainability ambition to become #1 by the company's 100th birthday in 2018. Panasonic's North American headquarters in Newark, NJ, earned both LEED Platinum and Gold certifications, and includes a rooftop solar PV system. Panasonic's Denver operations hub that opened in September 2016 is targeting LEED Gold certification and, with the completion of a 259 kWdc rooftop solar PV system, will be at least net-zero energy.

Panasonic | www.us.panasonic.com/news

Xcel Energy | www.xcelenergy.com

Younicos | www.younicos.com