WORKPLACE NOW E-ZINE - FEBRUARY 2013
WorkPlace Now

Lessons from Hurricane Sandy by Clay Nesler and Dr. Walter Ammann from Davos

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy swept through the east coast of the United Sates wreaking havoc in her path. Destruction was severe, impacting homes, businesses and communities. Many of Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions' customers were affected, both personally and professionally, but all responded to get operations up and running again.

 

While everything is always clearer with the benefit of hindsight, there are a few lessons we can learn from Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters.

 

Clay Nesler, Johnson Controls vice president of Global Energy and Sustainability offers his insight on what we can learn so we can better respond in the future.

 

 

 

Clay Nesler, Johnson Controls vice president of Global Energy and Sustainability

There are three overall objectives of building resilience to consider:

 

  • Minimizing damage to critical infrastructure during the event
  • Maintaining operational integrity and critical services immediately following the event
  • Returning the building to normal, safe operating conditions as soon as possible

 

Based on that framework, the following lessons should help guide the redesign and reconstruction of our buildings, cities and energy infrastructure to be more resilient.

 

1. Reduce the initial damage to building systems and infrastructure.

Major electrical and mechanical equipment that provides critical services should be installed in locations unlikely to be flooded, such as above ground level or providing underground storm water holding areas or diversion paths. Burying electrical lines underground can also increase reliability and robustness. These practices need to make their way into building codes, as they are much more practical and cost-effective to implement during initial construction or reconstruction.

 

2. Improve the reliability of emergency backup systems.

Anecdotal estimates suggest that up to half of New York City buildings’ emergency backup generators failed to start when they were needed – a preventative measure that could have drastically changed the aftermath. The failures were due to a lack of maintenance and regular full-load testing. Many generators ran out of fuel in a day or less, as they were unable to receive supplemental fuel deliveries. The conventional practice of storing one day’s worth of fuel supply on-site needs to be reconsidered, given the increasing likelihood of severe storm events in the future.

 

3. Have buildings support limited critical services for extended periods of time.

After Hurricane Sandy, most grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems were not operational because of safety systems installed to protect utility workers and grid integrity on restart. This was a surprise to many business- and homeowners who had invested in solar PV systems, expecting their buildings to be powered at least during daylight hours. Availability of even a limited amount of renewable energy, such as solar or microwind, combined with energy storage and a secure grid disconnect mechanism, would allow buildings to provide critical services over extended periods of time.

 

4. Designate and upgrade select buildings to provide critical community services.

With so many people displaced from their homes and workplaces, designated locations should be established in each community to provide critical services such as shelter, food, water, electricity and communications. Renewable energy with energy storage, or microgeneration with on-site fuel supplies, could help meet critical needs at schools, community centers, churches and other designated locations.

 

5. Use passive design principles to increase building resilience.

Passive approaches to providing electrical power, such as renewable energy, and passive building designs can increase building resiliency. Passive design principles — including building envelope, natural ventilation, shading, and water capture and storage — allow buildings to provide adequate comfort and water without requiring a significant energy supply. When severe storms or other events are accompanied by excessively hot or cold weather, providing comfortable and safe environments using minimal energy resources is highly desirable.

 

6. Use distributed generation and microgrids to increase community resilience.

Dependence on a centralized electrical grid is a definite liability given the extended time that is sometimes required for utilities to bring entire communities back online after a severe storm event. During Hurricane Sandy, large numbers of overhead power lines went down over an extended distance, making repair-crew logistics challenging. Microgrids, supported by distributed energy generation, are a potential solution, as they allow decentralized energy distribution at a community scale.

 

At a community scale, the application of district heating, cooling and energy plants and renewable energy generation is more scalable, cost-effective and resilient than their use in individual building applications. Water treatment and other critical services can also be provided more cost-effectively within a community-scale microgrid.

 

Many of us involved in designing and operating the built environment have been promoting the environmental, economic and social benefits of more efficient and sustainable buildings for decades. There have also been strong voices in the sustainable energy industry calling for the greater use of renewable energy, distributed generation and district energy systems as a more cost effective and environmentally sound approach to meeting future energy needs.

 

As we learned from Hurricane Sandy, many of the same design and operational principles that lead to greater sustainability can also lead to greater resilience. As if improving efficiency, reducing costs, creating jobs and protecting the environment was not, we can now add increasing resilience to the list of benefits resulting from more sustainable buildings and energy systems.

 

 

 

Dr. Walter J. Ammann, President Global Risk Forum GRF Davos

"The complexities of modern business in a globalized environment and the pervasive effects of risks and disasters, such as Hurricane Sandy, are posing new threats and dynamic challenges to businesses and organizations. From asset management to effective communication with the public and shareholders, from crisis coordination to reputation management, an integrative risk management approach becomes increasingly important.

 

Doing business means exploiting opportunities but also taking risks – they are inextricably linked. The challenge of coping with opportunities, risks and disasters is a permanent management process with clearly defined tasks, responsibilities and resource allocations. It does not start and end with the operational handling of an emergency situation. It requires a periodic identification and assessment of risks and a continuous effort to avoid, or at least be prepared for, critical situations. Prevention leads to reduced vulnerability, whereas preparedness, disaster response and recovery measures significantly contribute to increased resiliance.

 

Clay Nesler provides some excellent measures which contribute to loss limitation and shorten recovery times. Integrated risk management is based on a consistent risk reduction and business continuity management strategy with clear goals for the protection levels, addressing all relevant risk scenarios and involving all stakeholders. It is key for efficient and sustainable business operations and fosters to reduce risks and to increase resilience."

 

Dr. Walter J. Ammann

President Global Risk Forum (GRF) Davos

 

Back to top

 

WORKPLACE NOW LINKS
RELATED LINKS
Lessons from Hurricane Sandy
Suppliers Contact Site map Social Media Privacy Terms of use Feedback
© 2013 Johnson Controls. All rights reserved.