Renewable Energy World contributor is being awarded a Constellation Prize for Policy Impact in response to a new heating/cooling solution he proposed for the 50-year-old Plaza in Albany, NY.
Just after the holidays I heard from an old friend, Jay Egg, who heads up a geothermal consulting firm, EggGeo. Jay has written articles for RenewableEnergyWorld.com over the years and had just found out that he won an award for one of them.
Back in October of 2017, Jay wrote an article that Renewable Energy World published called CHP Project for Empire State Plaza Misses the Mark. In it, he explained that a new $100M combined heat and power (CHP) natural gas-fired 16-MW microgrid that was being planned for the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York was probably not a great idea because 1) the state mistakenly believed that geothermal wasn’t an option and 2) the state is committed to greenhouse gas reductions which meant that the plant would eventually be a stranded asset.
Jay, along with Keith Schue, explained how geothermal heating/cooling works and showed why using it along with solar power for the electricity would be a better choice the Empire State Plaza.
The article ultimately led to the cancelation of the gas-fired CHP microgrid; a victory for renewable energy advocates.
In recognition of the accomplishment, Jay Egg and Keith Schue are being awarded The Constellation Prize for Policy Impact.
According to its website, The Constellation Prize “sheds a light on how engineering can be done to promote new modes of engagement, research, development, and design that elevate the values of environmental protection, social justice, human rights, and peace.”
According to A.J. Schneller, who nominated them for the prize, the work that Jay Egg and Keith Schue did “demonstrates how the engineering profession can be operationalized to work in coalition with frontline environmental justice communities, potentially resulting in environmental protection and climate justice outcomes.”
Egg and Schue are receiving their award in a virtual ceremony on February 24 at 4PM ET/ 3 PM CT/ 1PM PST. Learn about the award recipients here. Then register to attend here.
