four small-scale power grids for research. Each grid connects to multiple laboratories in the facility, allowing various electrical power generation, storage and
consumption devices to interact for testing.
“I believe ESIF is going to revolutionize the way renewable energy is used,” says
Matt Graham, PMP, federal project director with the DoE Golden Field Office. “It’s
going to modernize the entire grid system.”
PLAN WITH A PURPOSE
While sustainability is an afterthought on many construction projects, it was
a key requirement in the ESIF project plans, says Dr. Detamore. In addition to
cost, schedule and scope, the project team talked about energy efficiency as “the
fourth constraint.”
“We set very high energy standards—75 percent less than what a commer-
cial building of its type would normally use,” says ESIF project manager Brian
Larsen, PMP. The project team also set an ambitious goal of securing LEED
“We set very high energy
standards—75 percent less
than what a commercial
building of its type would
normally use.”
—Brian Larsen, PMP
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