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Texas District Cuts Energy Costs with Ice Tanks

The Alamo Heights Independent School District (AHISD) has adopted ice-based energy storage technology to cool more than 325,000 square feet during peak demand for its 900-kilowatt solar power systems.

The district adopted IceBank tanks from Calmac, which allow it to use energy from the grid during the night, when it's cheaper, to create ice, which is then melted throughout the day to cool buildings at the high school and reduce cooling costs.

"As a result," according to a news release, "the district has reduced peak energy consumption by more than 20 percent, despite an increase in square footage and student population."

"The use of Calmac's ice-based energy storage tanks has really allowed us to capitalize on the most cost-effective energy from the grid," said Mike Hagar, assistant superintendent for business and finance at AHISD, in a prepared statement. "We had heard about energy storage in the past, but the technology has exceeded expectations."

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

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