Small wind / Buyer questions
Application integration
Does running more lighting to absorb wind surplus create more useful energy savings?
The short answer
No. Electricity used beyond the accepted illumination service is consumption, but it is not automatically an avoided lighting purchase or additional useful output. The comparison should preserve the owner's required lighting and an efficient supported control baseline. Increasing unnecessary operating hours merely to raise wind self-consumption can make an energy ratio look better without improving the project.
Define the illumination service
Identify the areas, tasks, occupied or required hours and approved lighting levels through the responsible designer. Include outdoor and security requirements where relevant rather than assuming all unoccupied lighting is unnecessary. DOE describes occupancy, daylight and task-tuning controls as possible demand improvements; it does not supply this facility's accepted light levels or switching policy.
Keep electrical and visual evidence separate
A meter records input, not illumination at the task or site boundary. More kWh can result from longer hours, greater output or poorer efficiency. Conversely, daylight may satisfy some service without electric input. Retain the actual accepted lighting state and operating schedule alongside the meter. Do not infer useful lux-hours by multiplying circuit kWh by an unverified constant.
The relevant baseline is the lighting the site would otherwise operate for the same service. An extra wind-triggered hour cannot be valued as an avoided purchase if that hour would otherwise have remained off.
Compare wind after the accepted baseline
If a supported control improvement removes unnecessary input, assess the wind contribution against the remaining demand. Show the efficiency saving separately so it is not also claimed as wind displacement. Generation outside useful lighting periods needs another evidenced destination or remains surplus. Provide the accepted light-state/input schedule with the RFQ. A MARSTON wind package can contribute electricity to the defined load, but it does not establish photometric performance, a lighting-control interface or justification for running lights without a useful service need.
Sources
Examples are illustrative. Confirm product-specific performance, compatibility and supply scope in the applicable documents.