Description:
The Chula Vista smart waterfront is a 535 acre joint development by City of Chula Vista
and the Port of San Diego – currently the largest waterfront development project on the U.S. West Coast.
The development is groundbreaking in its approach to energy efficiency in (1) targeting 50 percent reduction
in annual energy use for the development and (2) each building performing at least 15 percent better than
Title 24 requirements in the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. Recognizing the need to monitor
and control this new energy infrastructure, the Bayfront project also focuses on the communications
network technologies and smart infrastructure solutions that will provide operational efficiency,
sustainability, and economic development opportunities for the City.
The Project team, led by Black & Veatch, is focused on evaluating the three major components of energy,
telecom, and smart infrastructure – determining solutions that will meet the aggressive energy goals and
provide a foundational, scalable approach to future communications and smart city applications.
Challenges and Solutions:
The Team is focused around three key areas of energy,
communications, and smart infrastructure – the challenges and solutions for each are as
follows:
– The 50% energy reduction target is aggressive and will drive the Team to focus on
identifying innovative technologies, distributed energy sources, renewable energy options,
and energy efficiency measures that will make this achievable. The Team is also
considering the complex environment of energy regulations, utility coordination, and
public acceptance as well as evolving energy demands like Electric Vehicle charging and
how these will impact future design and implementation planning.
– Lack of IT Infrastructure/Resources: A key goal is reusing City assets where possible but at
the same time supporting future smart city applications – and this creates challenges with
respect to budgets, IT requirements, and security policies. The Team will review existing
assets and how those can be paired with new and developing communications options to
support the City’s current and future connectivity requirements.
Major Requirements:
Multi-year development project that is currently in the Design/Construction
Design phase with specific properties quickly approaching implementation and
construction. To support these future efforts, the Chula Vista Smart Bayfront
project Team will have to consider and complete the following steps:
-Identify relevant and appropriate energy technologies that will need to be
designed into a future architectural plan for each property and/or the
community
– Identify communications network options that can be built into the
Bayfront’s infrastructure prior to construction start (instead of retrofitting
later on)
– Identify smart infrastructure solutions that can be planned in advance for
the Bayfront
– Identify financial and budgetary implications of technology solutions
required to support future design and implementation work.
Performance Targets/ Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
The Chula Vista Bayfront project seeks to achieve
the following Energy goals:
– Reduce annual energy use for each property development by 50%
– Each building performing at least 15 percent better than Title 24 requirements in the California Building
Energy Efficiency Standards
While individual smart infrastructure applications have their own measureable impacts, the Chula Vista
Bayfront Team will evaluate how the aggregate of several solutions can provide additional benefit to the
City’s economic, environmental, and social health. Specific targets have not yet been determined but will be
defined in the next project phase.
Measurement Methods:
Measuring energy use for infrastructure that is not yet present is a challenging
proposition. The project team will use standard building profiles and energy use models with which to
determine projected energy savings. For future smart infrastructure targets, the Bayfront Team will gather
existing operational, financial, and environmental data as a baseline and to compare after the integration of
new technologies.
Standards/Interoperability:
Standards and interoperability will be most relevant with the
communications technologies used to connect distributed assets to a central database and
communications center. The Team will develop requirements that consider interoperability with
existing City systems but more importantly, have a standards based approach that
accommodates all future smart city solutions, not just one or two.
Replicability, Scalability, and Sustainability:
The Project Team is initially focused on the Bayfront area, but the framework and budgetary
information will be presented to help the City scale these across all of Chula Vista. While the
Chula Vista Bayfront will be a key showcase for the City, the real operational savings,
sustainability impacts, and economic development opportunities will come from deploying
relevant solutions City wide.
Impacts:
The Project is expected to deliver the following benefits to the City:
– Demonstrate viability of smart, sustainable development practices that
can be expanded Citywide
– Economic development: Smart Infrastructure solutions will help grow
businesses and also benefit the regional economy.
– Sustainability: Chula Vista was the first Californian city to adopt a Climate
Action Plan. The technology solutions will support the City’s Climate Action
Plan and sustainability targets.
– Citizen Engagement: communications and technology solutions can be
utilized to create a sense of pride, safety, and security in the community.
Demonstration/Deployment Phases:
Phase I Pilot/Demonstration June 2016:
Phase I will include the initial assessment of energy, communications, and smart infrastructure options to
meet the current and future Bayfront needs. It will focus on the technology, financial, and political
implications of each proposed option or solution and provide a means to help the City of Chula Vista
prioritize and plan for future work
Phase II Deployment June 2017:
Phase II will transition from the Phase 1 assessment study into the actual design, and where appropriate pilot
or implementation, of specific energy, communications, and smart infrastructure solutions for the Chula
Vista Bayfront.
Team Information: Team Lead:
Dennis Gakunga = [email protected]
