Honeywell and Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions (DESS), a nonregulated commercial brand of Duke Energy, announced an agreement to jointly develop and deliver comprehensive energy resiliency solutions to targeted markets across the United States. The strategic alliance will strengthen energy security, focusing on communities with pressing resiliency needs, and develop scaled solutions to lessen the impact of power outages and other grid disruptions related to climate change. 

Extreme weather, which can cause power outages, is becoming more frequent.¹ In 2020, U.S. electricity customers experienced just over eight hours of electric power interruptions, an average of nearly 20 minutes more power interruptions than in 2017 and the most since electricity reliability data collection began in 2013.² The municipal microgrids created by Honeywell and DESS will help cities continue to provide essential services during these types of outages. Using this technology, communities will be able to properly power water distribution and wastewater treatment plants or community centers so that citizens have access to fresh water and climate-controlled facilities even in the wake of disasters. 

“A smart city starts with resilient and sustainable energy resources,” said Matthew Britt, general manager, Smart Cities and Communities, Honeywell Building Technologies. “Our collaboration with DESS will create energy resiliency programs that help cities and communities better prepare for unexpected events as well as help manage and measure progress of their long-term environmental, social and governance goals.”

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The alliance will integrate distributed energy resources owned by Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions – including solar photovoltaic (PV) and resiliency solutions – with Honeywell’s battery energy storage systems and Smart Cities Software solution to manage the microgrid deployments alongside city-owned assets. The visibility provided by the Honeywell Smart City Suite will enable communities to make faster, more informed decisions to effectively serve their citizens.

“Investing in energy infrastructure is a national priority that requires strategic vision, innovative solutions, and a world-class team to implement effectively,” said Robert Vary, senior vice president, Sales and Relationship Management, Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions. “Our alliance with Honeywell expands our reach, strengthens our capabilities, and accelerates our ability to innovate for cities nationwide.”

Honeywell, leveraging its smart cities and energy solutions expertise, will lead solutions development, using its IoT platform, building technologies and system-of-systems command and control capabilities. Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions will own and manage the energy assets, bringing its core competency in designing and implementing distributed energy solutions for communities across the country.

The effort supports the Honeywell Energy Equity Resiliency (HEER) initiative which works to create energy equity and community resiliency through innovative solutions and alliances to address energy efficiency, improve peak load management, and decrease grid disruptions due to climate change. Using the Honeywell City Suite Software, the HEER initiative can integrate multiple software systems into a single platform for complete command and control across municipal, utility, and commercial assets and systems. The initiative is designed to serve as a blueprint for energy resiliency for communities of all sizes, including reducing energy usage and lowering energy costs for participating communities and their citizens.

Source: Honeywell