Forming the Future

By 2050, 50–65% of today’s buildings will still stand, yet, at best, they may comprise only 35% of the total future building stock. Now, ask yourself: How durable are the buildings I design, construct, own or occupy? Will they last? If they do, how will their performance measure up in an era of growing environmental expectations? The good news is that the tools and technologies to evaluate and improve building resilience and performance exist today, offering a path to sustainable innovation. 

With climate challenges intensifying, transformative action is no longer optional. Building owners, developers and engineers must adopt resource optimization and energy efficiency practices to mitigate environmental impacts. Hanson’s energy transition plan exemplifies this necessity, focusing on decarbonization, energy efficiency and climate resilience. It aligns seamlessly with forward-thinking guidelines, like the newly released Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) v5 O+M Strategic Decarbonization Plan (SDP) credit.

What is LEED v5 O+M’s Strategic Decarbonization Plan?

The LEED v5 O+M SDP, which is in public review, marks a pivotal evolution in the LEED certification process. It shifts the emphasis from incremental improvements in energy efficiency to comprehensive, actionable decarbonization strategies. Key elements include:

• net-zero carbon operations
• renewable energy integration at all levels
• electrification
• comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting
• demand response and grid interactivity
• climate risk and resilience assessments
• continuous performance tracking and reporting
• procurement of sustainable materials

While the concepts of demand response and grid interactivity are not novel, this added focus for LEED is significant. LEED is in its 26^th year, and over 195,000 buildings have achieved LEED certification. With increased momentum for electrification from buildings to vehicles and beyond, enhanced grid-interactive systems will help utility companies manage peak demand more efficiently, optimize grid capacity to reduce costly infrastructure upgrades, decrease reliance on fossil fuel-based peaker plants and better respond to fluctuations in energy supply through demand flexibility and energy storage.

Hanson’s energy transition plan

Hanson’s energy transition plan showcases a proactive approach to achieving sustainability and operational resilience. The key components of the strategy include:

• energy audits: assessing historical energy, water usage and scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions
• renewable energy adoption: promoting solar, wind and other renewable sources to reduce carbon footprints
• advanced analytics: using cutting-edge energy modeling tools to optimize building performance and enable grid interactivity
• phased facility improvements: collaborating closely with owners and stakeholders to implement upgrades systematically

These initiatives reflect Hanson’s commitment to balancing environmental stewardship with financial goals, delivering sustainability and economic value. Check out our earlier blog post for a deeper dive into our energy transition plans.

Why decarbonization makes business sense

Adopting LEED v5 O+M SDP-aligned strategies offers substantial benefits for building owners, particularly those managing multiple properties:

• lower operating costs: energy-efficient retrofits and renewable systems reduce utility expenses and insulate against market volatility
• portfolio-wide efficiencies: decarbonization strategies scaled across multiple properties standardize practices, create economies of scale and improve oversight
• regulatory compliance: energy-efficient buildings ensure compliance with emerging regulations and attract eco-conscious tenants
• financial incentives: LEED certification unlocks tax credits, grants and funding opportunities for green projects
• asset value retention: green-certified properties retain higher market value and command premium rents
• enhanced brand and reputation: demonstrating sustainability leadership boosts stakeholder relationships and strengthens credibility

Brookfield Properties exemplifies the transformative potential of adopting LEED-aligned strategies across a multiproperty portfolio. In Los Angeles, its six LEED-certified buildings, spanning over 9 million square feet, achieved a remarkable reduction of 4.9 million kilowatt hours in energy consumption. These efforts not only lowered operating costs but also enhanced portfolio-wide efficiencies and standardized sustainable practices. Brookfield's commitment to decarbonization earned the company the Portfolio of the Year award at the Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge’s 2018 Innovation Awards, highlighting its leadership in sustainability.

Overcoming challenges

Decarbonization requires overcoming challenges like upfront costs and regulatory complexities. Hanson provides strategic solutions to address these barriers:

• funding partnerships: collaborating with local governments to secure grants and tax incentives
• education and advocacy: helping stakeholders understand the long-term return on investment of sustainable and resilience practices
• innovative tools: using advanced software for GHG tracking, energy modeling and real-time performance monitoring

These strategies simplify the shift to low-carbon building portfolios, reducing risks and amplifying positive outcomes.

The future of decarbonization for building owners

Sustainability is a critical factor in property management and investment decisions. Plans to reduce energy consumption and emissions offer a clear roadmap for incorporating smart grid systems, advanced technologies and renewable power into building management. By aligning with sustainable building rating systems like LEED v5 O+M, Hanson empowers building owners to future-proof their portfolios, optimize performance and contribute meaningfully to global climate goals. This approach not only enhances environmental stewardship but also drives long-term cost savings and operational resilience in an evolving energy landscape.

Learn more about Hanson’s energy transition plan by contacting Amanda Polematidis at apolematidis@hanson-inc.com.

When you can see things more clearly, you can design better solutions. In hydraulic engineering, the ability to thoroughly capture how fluids move can drastically improve our understanding of hydraulic forces and greatly enhance our ability to design smart solutions for new and reconstructed water structures.  

With its 3D capabilities, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is increasing in popularity as a method for modeling hydraulic structures. CFD offers detailed insights into complex flow behaviors — such as turbulence, free surface flows, plunging flows, hydraulic jumps and multiphase interactions — that are difficult to capture in 1D and 2D models. CFD provides a well-rounded simulation of fluid flow, considering variables such as pressure, velocity, turbulence and boundary interactions at a granular level.

CFD also includes advanced turbulence models that accurately capture small-scale flow features such as eddies, recirculation zones and flow separation. 3D hydraulic modeling can assess the entire water column, allowing engineers and designers to pinpoint potential design issues, such as areas of high velocities near the streambed, high turbulence areas at bends and cavitation from negative pressures, which cause air entrainment and uplift. CFD can accurately define precise flow patterns around intricate structures such as weirs, spillways, gates and culverts. The information CFD provides can guide design, resulting in a more stable, more efficient and longer-lasting structure.

Higher accuracy, less time

Compared to 1D and 2D models, CFD often requires more computational power and time to set up. Despite this, the improved accuracy and detailed insights it offers make it a superior tool for modeling hydraulic structures, particularly in cases in which flow complexity and design optimization are critical. Recent improvements to the cost and power of standard desktop computers, along with the expanding access to cloud computing, has helped reduce the burden of the time and computer power required to model hydraulic structures in CFD.

CFD modeling captures details such as eddies, vortices and turbulent flows that are often oversimplified or missed in 1D and 2D models. While 1D models simplify flows along a single direction (ideal for rivers or channels) and 2D models focus on horizontal flow patterns, CFD provides a true 3D analysis, giving an accurate simulation that reflects water movement and hydraulic forces. This is crucial for understanding vertical flow components and turbulence, which are common in hydraulic structures.

CFD’s detailed analysis is more reliable when designing hydraulic structures that must perform efficiently and withstand extreme conditions, such as floods. The extra detail leads to better predictions of structure performance under real-world conditions. This is especially important when engineers design sensitive features, such as pump stations and scour-critical structures. Plunging flow can be difficult to calculate, and CFD provides the assessment we need for a proper design — for instance, when we are addressing energy dissipation structures in turbulent areas. Energy dissipation calculations rely on published design guidelines developed from physical model testing in a laboratory and can be limited when applied to specific field conditions. However, by allowing site-specific analysis customized to local flow conditions, CFD leads to a design that better contains the turbulent energy and identifies downstream erosion protection needs.

This video of a CFD model shows plunging flow.

In addition to the project types mentioned above, hydraulic modelers and engineers can apply CFD modeling to help design complex storm sewer junctions, pollution dispersion, scour and sediment transport, structural rehabilitation and any project with a vertical flow component or highly complex hydraulic conditions. We’ve found 3D modeling helpful on projects involving extremely steep terrain and extensive erosion problems, energy dissipation on culvert outlets with excess velocities, drop maintenance hole designs for dam spillways, baffled energy dissipator modifications and accurate definitions of plunging flow.

CFD and public safety

Hanson has used CFD modeling to assess public safety concerns associated with low-head, run-of-river dams that are prone to the formation of hydraulic rollers. These dangerous conditions arise from recirculating currents that can trap and drown individuals, boats or debris, creating nearly inescapable hazards that can repeatedly force objects against the dam wall. Hydraulic rollers form when the downstream tailwater submerges the hydraulic jump caused by high velocity flow, pushing it toward the dam face. This is often obscured by a deceptively calm surface.

The CFD analysis provides compelling visualizations for public outreach, enhancing the awareness of these hidden dangers, and serves as a valuable scientific tool. This video showcases the CFD analysis conducted using Flow-3D software, illustrating the limited surface turbulence juxtaposed with the dangerous undercurrents. This analysis enabled a more precise determination of discharge coefficients for the ogee crest dam and helped determine the frequency of discharge and tailwater conditions that contribute to hydraulic roller formation.

The video illustrates two key conditions: the initial phase in which the tailwater depth is insufficient to stabilize a roller, allowing the log to enter the velocity jet and release downstream, and a subsequent scenario in which rising tailwater levels allow the roller to stabilize and capture the incoming log. In the latter condition, surface turbulence becomes increasingly less visible, producing a deceptively calm hydraulic condition.

The CFD analysis provides the flexibility to analyze alternative dam configurations to mitigate roller formation and enhance public safety.

This video shows a model of a hydraulic roller.

CFD and physical models

Calibration and validation are critical considerations in all phases of hydraulic modeling, and CFD is no exception. Frequently used with physical models, CFD offers a more flexible approach, enabling the evaluation of alternative structural features without the need for costly and time-consuming modifications to the physical model. A CFD analysis can often help reduce project costs by zeroing in on areas of concern while providing design assessments that better reflect true hydraulic conditions.

CFD modelers can also more efficiently alter structure designs and test new alternatives. This can help the design team find an engineering solution. By effectively informing the alternatives design process, CFD can significantly reduce the costs and time constraints typically associated with physical modeling. Hanson has recently applied this approach to the design of a pump station appurtenant with a capacity of 255 cubic feet of water per second to a 5,000-acre-foot perched impoundment for the South Florida Water Management District. Hanson conducted a CFD analysis of the pump station to develop the required structure dimensions and energy dissipation needs, evaluate drawdown in the upstream channel and determine headloss through a pump trash rack. The selected design was optimized in coordination with a physical model.

Sediment transport

CFD helps engineers analyze sediment transport and erosion patterns in hydraulic systems by providing a detailed view of how particles interact with fluid flows. The standard practice for bridge scour involves applying equations developed by the Federal Highway Administration, which were created using limited field data and laboratory experiments to determine equilibrium design scour conditions. However, one issue with this approach is the application of a single design equation to structural and river conditions that are often unique. In contrast, CFD provides sediment transport capabilities that can model complex scour conditions, such as nonuniform pier foundations and overlapping scour cones, which are often oversimplified with standard modeling procedures.

This 3D model depicts scour at bridge piers.

CFD’s ability to model 3D flow with high precision makes it an invaluable tool for modern hydraulic engineering, providing a clearer understanding of fluid behaviors around structures compared to the more simplified 1D and 2D models. To learn more about how Hanson can improve your project outcome with CFD, contact Garrett Litteken at glitteken@hanson-inc.com or Brian Wozniak at bwozniak@hanson-inc.com.

Globally accepted decarbonization goals seek to limit the world’s average surface temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius by the year 2100 (reduced from an initial target limit of 2 degrees Celsius). This aligns with the goal to achieve a net-zero economy, eliminating greenhouse gas emissions, by 2050. The U.S. government established a national goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035. However, the world’s appetite for electricity continues to grow, with estimates of an increase between 55% and 65% above current demands by 2050. So how are we doing?

While great strides have been made and previous articles on this blog have discussed the growth of renewable energy generation (solar, wind, etc.) and the ongoing advancements in energy storage, we are not on track because of continuing challenges that require concerted efforts to accelerate the energy transition and more aggressive approaches to reduce energy demand and increase efficiency in facilities.

With respect to the transition to renewable energy, the siting, permitting, approval and financing of new projects, especially major transmission lines, continue to pose a challenge. In lieu of having a continental-scale grid like China and the European Union, the U.S. has three grids: one for the eastern U.S., one for the western U.S. and a separate one for Texas. These grids are only connected at a few points and share little power between them. They are further divided into a patchwork of operators, often with competing interests, which make developing and constructing long-distance power lines difficult.

While constructing renewable generation projects typically takes one to one-and-a-half years, major transmission projects can take from three to 10 years to complete. New regulatory and collaborative efforts, along with additional funding, are required to expedite the process.

Another challenge for renewable energy projects deals with scale. A recent 10-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) system was brought online, with the solar farm requiring approximately 66 acres. Replacing a 1,000 MW coal- or gas-fired plant with a solar PV farm would require approximately 6,600 acres, while replacement with an equivalently sized wind turbine farm would require approximately 83,000 acres.

While the public supports the need to transition to clean energy and reduce emissions, many communities have taken a “not in my back yard” attitude toward projects in their areas. They do not want these projects compromising the appearance and value of their real estate.

Concurrent with the need to accelerate decarbonization of the grid, reports, such as from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, say that buildings account for approximately 40% of U.S. energy consumption. Concerted efforts will be required to reduce demand and increase efficiency.

Electricity generation is projected to increase 68.6% by 2050 and can be attributed to reasons including governments’ moves promoting electrification, converting to electrical vehicles, energy use and the exponential rise in energy required for artificial intelligence (AI), according to a Building Enclosure article. “The energy demand for AI is doubling every 100 days,” the article states. According to a TechRadar Pro newsletter article, Google and Microsoft each consumed 24 terawatt hours of electricity last year, more than the power used by 100 countries. The Building Enclosure article noted that with the increase in energy demand, “We must decarbonize the U.S. electric grid by more than 40 percent by 2050 just to break-even compared to total projected 2025 emissions.”

These projections emphasize the need to accelerate the tightening of energy codes and ordinances related to facilities, possibly modifying their approach, seeking to associate compliance with metrics or offering credits tied to reducing emissions, along with system efficiency.

Finally, several environmental issues must be addressed with the energy transition and the growth of AI. Renewable energy systems and electrical transportation require more minerals than fossil fuel generation and conventional gas-fired vehicles. It has been projected that “the energy sector’s overall needs for critical minerals could increase by as much as six times by 2040,” according to a 2021 International Energy Agency news release. For a world already experiencing a water crisis, the additional water demands from mining and data center cooling for AI will exacerbate the stresses on our freshwater system.

Engineers must lead the way in solving America’s energy and environmental issues. If we are going to meet decarbonization goals, engineers need to step up with creative and innovative solutions, along with the support and funding of government and industry stakeholders.

To learn more about Hanson’s experience and expertise in advising clients on their decarbonization goals, contact Bob Knoedler at rknoedler@hanson-inc.com or Bill Bradford at bbradford@hanson-inc.com.

Sustainable and renewable sources of energy are growing in popularity as they become more cost effective and fossil fuel emissions continue to cause environmental concerns. A popular form of renewable energy is wind turbine generators (WTG). WTGs are not only growing in numbers of installed turbines, but the nameplate capacities are getting larger because of the increased nacelle (generator) and rotor sizes.

In 2012, the average nameplate capacity was 1.94 megawatts (MW) with a rotor size of 307 feet, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Today’s installations range from 2.7 to 4.5 MW with 417-foot to 476-foot rotors. The foundations supporting WTGs are already large and traditionally have cast-in-place gravity foundations that use massive amounts of concrete and rebar and require more soil excavation.

The WTG foundation’s main role is to transfer the loading from the turbine to the ground and provide stability for the WTG to rotate and generate power. Innovations in the design of the WTG foundation continue to emerge as the WTGs become larger. One innovation developed by Hanson for the WTG foundation is the use of soil anchors rather than the traditional gravity foundation. Soil anchors transfer the loading to the mass soil layer, rather than relying on the weight of the concrete and overburdening the gravity foundation.

A soil anchor foundation can reduce the size of the foundation footprint up to 50%. The smaller foundation size does not just reduce the cost — it also helps reduce emissions. An anchored foundation will have less excavation, soil backfill, concrete and reinforcement. Assuming a 3 MW turbine at a hub height of 361 feet with good soils, the excavation and backfill is reduced by 85% and the concrete and reinforcement is reduced by 80% and 50%, respectfully.

The reduction in emissions due to the smaller foundation footprint for the example above is 177.23 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, a 72% reduction compared to a standard foundation. The largest reduction in emissions comes from the raw materials used to construct the foundation. The image below shows the total emissions for gravity and anchored foundations.

If you want to learn more about anchored foundations, reach out to Steven McRory at smcrory@hanson-inc.com and Matt Heyen at mheyen@hanson-inc.com.

In 2023, the U.S. had to “hunker down” to 28 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. The total cost: $92.9 billion. As the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events become increasingly severe and frequent, communities across the globe are exploring ways to enhance their resilience. One such innovation is the development of resilience hubs — centers that provide essential services and support to communities during emergencies while serving as community resources during normal times.

Understanding the hubbub

A resilience hub is a community-centered facility designed to provide essential services and resources during emergencies, such as natural disasters, power outages or extreme weather events. Resilience hubs can be new buildings or retrofitted structures like schools, community centers or libraries. Their dual-purpose nature — serving daily community needs and emergency functions — makes them unique and essential in modern urban planning.

During emergencies, they transform into critical lifelines, providing shelter, communication channels and access to essential resources. They are typically equipped with supplies like food, water, first aid and backup power. They help disseminate crucial updates and instructions from authorities and often act as centers for volunteer coordination, enabling the community to organize and respond collectively to crises. There are more than 250 resilience hubs across the U.S.

Three key considerations for resilience hub development

Location: The hub’s location is crucial for its effectiveness. Accessibility, proximity to vulnerable populations and environmental safety, while ensuring easy access by public transportation and emergency services, are important to take into account. Community facilities that are well-known and trusted can seamlessly fall into this role, but necessary assessments must be performed to determine structural resilience.

Energy systems and renewable integration: Resilience hub retrofits should incorporate energy efficiency upgrades and integrated emergency energy design. Many newer resilience hubs incorporate renewable energy systems, reducing operational energy costs and ensuring continued functionality during extended outages. Resilience hubs may also be connected to local microgrids, enabling independent operation from the main grid during emergencies. To maintain essential services and communications, it’s crucial to properly size and test the emergency power systems for reliable performance during outages.

Community-oriented and -driven: The development of a resilience hub should be deeply rooted in the community it serves. Engage with residents and stakeholders from the outset, incorporating their input into the hub’s planning, design and operation. By involving the community in decisions such as the location, services offered and management, the hub can better address local challenges and become a focal point for resilience, social cohesion and empowerment.

The Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) and the NAACP have developed valuable resources to help communities understand and implement resilience hubs. The USDN offers detailed toolkits and guides that provide practical steps for planning, designing and operating resilience hubs, with a focus on sustainability and equity, while the NAACP toolkit emphasizes the importance of social justice in resilience planning, offering frameworks that ensure hubs serve the needs of vulnerable populations.

Whether through new construction or retrofitting facilities, resilience hubs are likely to become an integral part of our communities. As the concept continues to evolve, the adoption of best practices and standards, coupled with community-driven approaches, will be essential to ensure resilience hubs can meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Contact Amanda Polematidis at apolematidis@hanson-inc.com to learn more about how a resilience hub can serve your community.

One of the newest standards by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) establishes minimum requirements for a sustainable infrastructure solution. Owners and engineers alike can use ASCE/COS 73-23: Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure to set sustainability goals and assess their infrastructure projects.

Defining solutions

ASCE 73 establishes the following criteria for an infrastructure solution to be considered sustainable:

• The solution must satisfy at least 19 out of 27 outcomes in the standard, which are under six categories:
  1. sustainability leadership
  2. quality of life
  3. resource allocation
  4. natural world
  5. greenhouse gas emissions
  6. resilience
• Once a solution satisfies a minimum of 19 outcomes, users are instructed to perform a life-cycle cost analysis.
• Solutions that meet the minimum of 19 outcomes and achieve the least equivalent life-cycle cost shall be defined as sustainable infrastructure solutions.

The solution must be supported by a sustainability management plan that, at minimum:

• addresses owner, community and stakeholder needs and issues
• establishes sustainability goals and objectives to balance the solution’s economic, environmental and social impacts (quantifiable and nonquantifiable)
• identifies specific outcomes in each of the six categories that will yield a sustainable infrastructure solution
• is implemented throughout the life cycle of the infrastructure solution to monitor and enhance sustainability performance. The infrastructure life cycle includes planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance and decommissioning.

Emphasis on the infrastructure life cycle

ASCE 73’s focus is clear: to develop sustainable infrastructure solutions, owners, architects, engineers and contractors must evaluate and plan each step in an infrastructure asset’s life cycle.

As an example, let’s take a closer look at one outcome from the natural world category: “Avoid, or minimize, and/or mitigate the introduction of invasive species.” It is straightforward enough to design new landscaping that excludes invasive species and includes native species. To fully integrate this outcome throughout the site’s life cycle, it becomes necessary to create a sustainability management plan that:

• trains staff to identify and remove invasive species
• establishes the labor force necessary to maintain the site’s native landscaping
• creates a maintenance schedule for staff to follow
• writes policy that lists the acceptable native plants for use on the site
• calculates a budget that includes the labor and materials for regular native landscaping maintenance and renewal (plant death, weather events, etc.)

Ultimately, the sustainability outcomes in ASCE 73 are not complete when the infrastructure solution is constructed — they are complete when the infrastructure solution is decommissioned at the end of its useful life.

A companion to Envision

ASCE 73 was developed with the Envision v3 rating tool framework as a guide. Envision, developed by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, includes 64 sustainability and resilience indicators in five categories analogous to the outcome categories in ASCE 73. Where ASCE 73 sets the minimum standard for sustainable infrastructure, Envision provides a means of recognizing achievement and innovation in sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

What’s next?

ASCE 73 is not mandatory, but ASCE is working on establishing a committee to create a mandatory standard. Committee membership is open to the public.

Contact Michelle Alvarez at malvarez@hanson-inc.com to learn how Hanson can help you plan and design your next sustainable infrastructure solution.

Over the past two decades, energy demand in the United States has been relatively constant, peaking at 97.4 exajoules in 2007 but decreasing to around 95.9 exajoules in 2022. However, the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2023 projects that U.S. energy consumption could increase by up to 15% from 2022 to 2050, which has led to concern that in a period of expanded need for electricity, the country may run short of this critical commodity.

In the recent past, this amount of growth in electrical demand was not anticipated. However, advancing technologies, increasing weather temperatures and evolving energy policies are driving the need for increased electrical capacity. One example of the increasing demand involves the rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and the associated expansion of data centers needed to power AI, crypto mining and our digital society. As stated in the Forbes article, “The Challenge Of Growing Electricity Demand in the US,” “Increasing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) has further amplified the growing electricity demand, with data center electricity consumption projected to escalate from 2.5% of total US consumption in 2022 to 7.5% by 2030.”

Governmental policies and associated legislation are promoting electrification through renewable energy generation and the reduction in the use of oil and natural gas. The move from transportation via vehicles with internal combustion engines to electric vehicles (EVs) will also play a role in increased electrical use. The EIA states that EVs made up approximately a 6–7% share of the U.S. vehicle market in 2022; however, the adoption of EVs is expected to increase significantly by 2050, with the purchase of electricity needed to power EVs expected to increase between 900% to 2,000% from the 2022 numbers.

Anticipated growth in the use of electricity is also due to the success of the federal CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), with the IRA accounting for more than 200 planned manufacturing facilities and spurring increased electrical demand throughout various manufacturing areas of the U.S., as reported by Forbes.

The demands noted above will drive the need for additional generating capacity and upgrades to America’s distribution grids. Over the past decade, there has been a move toward more distributed energy resources (DER), incorporating controlled and variable generating facilities, including numerous solar and wind farms, institutional combined heat and power facilities, fuel cells and small-scale photovoltaic systems. Along with the demand for additional generating capacity is the requirement to properly transmit and distribute the electricity to consumers. Besides the need to connect new DERs, much of the U.S. electrical grid was built in the 1960s and 1970s, and while there have been improvements, the grid infrastructure needs additional investment and upgrades to supply America’s power. The amount of new transmission lines installed in the United States has dropped sharply since 2013, when 4,000 miles were added, to 2022, when 670 miles of transmission lines were completed. On May 28, the White House announced the Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative, with commitments from 21 states. This program will prioritize electrical grid modernization efforts, with the target of a carbon-neutral grid by 2035.

When asked at the Bosch Connected World conference about the effect of AI on our electricity supply, Elon Musk replied, “I think we really are on the edge of probably the biggest technology revolution that has ever existed. You know, there’s supposedly a Chinese curse: ‘May you live in interesting times.’ Well, we live in the most interesting of times. For a while, it was making me a bit depressed, frankly. I was like, ‘Well, will they take over? Will we be useless?’ But the way I reconciled myself to this question was: Would I rather be alive to see the AI apocalypse or not? I’m like, I guess I’d like to see this. It’s not gonna be boring.”

The same can be said about our generation, transmission and distribution of power. Although I doubt it will lead to an apocalypse, it’s not gonna be boring. May you live in interesting times!

Bill Bradford can be reached at bbradford@hanson-inc.com.

The past several years have seen rapid advances in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) as more companies and industries realize the capabilities of this powerful technology. A couple of areas in which machine learning (ML), a subset of AI using algorithms to evaluate massive datasets, has shown powerful gains include the electrical utility and facilities management industries.

Electrical power systems are becoming more complex with the rapid addition of various distributed generation (DG) systems requiring utilities to support multidirectional flows of electricity. AI technology can help manage and control electrical utility grids, matching variable energy supply with rising or falling demand and integrating various renewable energy DG sources into the grid. One of ML’s key values is in supporting the growth of smart grids, with the multitude of data points produced by smart meters and other devices monitoring the grid power flows and DG. ML algorithms can also detect the best times to store energy, when to release energy and how much to distribute.

One of the most common uses of AI in the energy sector has been to improve the predictions of energy supply and demand. In conjunction with historic demand data, the number of available generating sources (type and capacity) and forecast weather data, AI networks can predict future electrical output with greater accuracy.

AI can also help with the predictive maintenance of physical assets to prevent grid failures, increasing system reliability and security. ML can analyze large amounts of data from usage statistics, weather data and historical maintenance records to predict potential equipment failures. In addition, AI can integrate data from hazards, such as extreme storms or fires, then adjust grid operations.

With respect to facilities management, AI provides a number of benefits for building owners and their operations and maintenance staff, including optimizing operations, improving decision-making and reducing costs. Again, one of the keys is AI’s ability to provide data-driven insights. Analytical tools powered by AI can evaluate massive amounts of data from numerous sources, including maintenance logs, energy demand and consumption records, past projects, Internet of Things sensors and facility occupancy data.

Decreasing energy use is one of the largest opportunities for facility cost savings. By analyzing granular demand and consumption data from submeters and power monitoring systems and managing indoor environmental conditions based on occupancy, air quality, external temperatures and lighting requirements, AI-driven building automation systems can drive cost savings for the owner or property management company.

Similar to the advantage of monitoring physical grid system performance for utility companies, AI’s analysis of historical facility data can help predict equipment failures and preventative maintenance needs, leading to improved operational efficiency, reliability and cost savings.

The use of AI incorporating ML algorithms is projected to continue its expansion throughout numerous industry sectors in the years ahead. To learn more about Hanson’s efforts in employing AI in our services for clients, contact Robert Knoedler at rknoedler@hanson-inc.com or Bill Bradford at bbradford@hanson-inc.com.

In 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administered $250 million within the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program to support states, municipalities, territories and tribes in developing comprehensive plans to address climate change. It is a pivotal strategy for the United States under the Paris Agreement, aiming for substantial greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions by 2030. The scope of CPRG is momentous, funding the development of over 220 climate action plans, identifying strategies that can significantly reduce carbon footprints and contributing to the global effort to limit temperature rise to below 2 Celsius.

The CPRG program will also deliver $4.6 billion in competitive implementation grant funding later this year toward priority and shovel-ready projects. This is a tailored approach, recognizing the unique challenges and opportunities across the U.S., from the Alaskan glaciers to the Florida Keys. Ongoing funding will be crucial for adapting to evolving challenges, addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and capitalizing on new opportunities in clean energy and technology sectors.

The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry stands at the forefront of helping these jurisdictions through offering innovative, sustainability-focused solutions. Engineering firms are pivotal in supporting climate action through:

• Technical expertise. AEC firms can offer expertise in assessing GHG emissions, designing energy-efficient systems and implementing renewable energy solutions; support the development of mixed-use urban plans that promote public transit options; adopt design approaches that consider sustainability from the onset; conduct risk assessments to help communities understand potential climate impacts and develop strategies to mitigate these risks; develop resilient infrastructure to withstand these impacts; and embrace innovative technologies.
• Project implementation. AEC firms can oversee the construction of green infrastructure, renewable energy systems installation and decarbonization measures; adopt construction methods that minimize waste and pollution, use sustainable materials and reduce energy consumption process. This includes adopting technology like building information modeling to enhance efficiency and to monitor and evaluate effectiveness with data analytics, helping municipalities make informed decisions and continuously improve their climate action strategies.
• Education, training and advocacy. AEC firms can provide ongoing education and training for professionals; advocate for policies and regulations that support sustainable development, including incentives for green infrastructure and renewable energy; and facilitate workshops and forums to engage communities in the planning process, ensuring that climate action plans are inclusive and reflect the needs and priorities of all stakeholders.
• AEC firms can help municipalities navigate the complex landscape of grants and financial incentives, ensuring that communities can secure the necessary funding to bring their plans to fruition.

A challenging journey lies ahead for all of us to achieve the nation's ambitious goals of reducing GHG emissions to 50–52% below 2005 levels by 2030, but CPRG is poised to lead the way. As we look to the future, AEC firms have a golden opportunity to support local communities and governments, acting as a driving force for meaningful change. By empowering local entities to take bold actions in lowering GHG emissions, AEC firms not only contribute to meeting these critical targets but help communities breathe easier, ensuring a healthier environment for future generations.

Contact Amanda Polematidis at apolematidis@hanson-inc.com to learn how Hanson can help with lowering GHG emissions and pursuing funding for these projects.

Energy resiliency plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation and sustainability of airports and is critical to continuity of operations, safety and security, economic impact and more. As stated in the Airport Cooperative Research Program’s (ACRP) Research Report 260: Airport Energy Resiliency Roadmap draft, which will be officially published this month, “As key infrastructure in today’s interconnected economy, the airport and its operations are critical to local, national, and international communities. Ensuring the continued operations of the airport, despite near-term disruptive events or longer-term shifts in energy supply and demand, is vital to meeting customers’ needs. Pursuing energy resiliency-the ability to withstand, adapt to, and overcome changes or impacts to the energy landscape across multiple time frames, whether caused by deliberate attacks, accidents, or naturally occurring events-ensures public safety, positions the airport as a community leader, and enhances its brand.”

Hanson assisted the Transportation Research Board’s ACRP in developing a primer on energy resilience for airport executives and a guidebook on creating an energy resiliency roadmap for their airports. The objective of the project was to prepare a resource for airports to use as they work to meet their customers’ ever-changing energy and operational needs while improving each airport’s energy resiliency and achieving sustainability.

When thinking about energy resiliency, it is important to differentiate between planning for and mitigating short-term interruptions (e.g., weather events or targeted attacks) and long-term resiliency, which may require a larger initiative encompassing years of planning, development and deployment that is focused on forecasting demand and preparing for higher energy use and grid infrastructure, which may not be reliable for 100% uptime.

The planning should also acknowledge that energy resiliency and sustainability are distinct concepts that can be achieved independently or jointly, depending on the strategy and goals set during initiation. The interplay between sustainability and resiliency should be discussed during the creation of the energy resiliency roadmap, with a focus on the tradeoffs when prioritizing one over the other, as well as the possibility of achieving both.

The processes for achieving energy resiliency should engage internal and external stakeholders early in the development process and ensure the roadmap aligns with other goals and initiatives and incorporates a broad range of perspectives on impactful resilience goals. The process should also identify an energy baseline by calculating demand, understand supply and identify vulnerabilities. Prior to identifying strategies to address resiliency gaps, the airport should establish foundational goals and identify tools or levers that can be used to implement strategies to accomplish the energy resiliency goals. For each foundational goal and associated lever in the roadmap, an airport should identify specific energy resiliency strategies and a timeline to progress toward the goal. The airport should also realize that workforce changes may be necessary to implement an energy resiliency roadmap and could vary from hiring additional information technology staff to retraining staff who currently support fossil fuel systems to service clean-energy systems.

In developing energy resiliency roadmaps for airports, it is key to remember that energy resiliency for airports is not only about preparedness — it is a strategic move that enables airports to thrive, adapt to changing conditions and maintain their vital role in transportation, commerce and each of our daily lives.

To learn more about ACRP Research Report 260, contact Susan Zellers at szellers@hanson-inc.com or Bill Bradford at bbradford@hanson-inc.com.