Budgetary constraints and environmental impact have put increased pressure on businesses to reduce energy usage throughout their facilities. One area where businesses consume a significant amount of energy is in warehouses through HVAC, lighting and material handling equipment. Plug Power remains focused on helping material handling centers be more efficient, productive and green through our GenKey complete hydrogen fuel cell solution . But of course, there’s a broader world of efficiency and energy consumption reduction that we fit into. This was brought home in a recent article in DC Velocity on warehouse management systems (WMS) entitled “ Four ways your WMS can cut costs and ‘green up’ your DC. ” While distribution centers have long used WMS to plan the best routes for merchandise handling and distribution, the WMS is now helping businesses to leverage these efficiencies to reduce costs. But here at Plug Power, we can see how the use of GenKey hydrogen and forklift fuel cell solutions can significantly enhance the impact made by your WMS. Here’s a summary of ways the article suggests companies can use the WMS to improve business metrics, with our input on how Plug Power can further enhance these suggestions. Buy electricity at off-peak rates. Most businesses are either unaware that electricity companies vary rates throughout the day, or are unsure of how to adjust consumption to ensure the least amount of cost. The WMS can provide the data to participate in a demand response (DR) program that can help facilities reduce expenses, as utilities will actually pay large distribution centers to reduce energy usage during a “peak” energy event. The GenKey enhancement: According to the article author, businesses pay up to 14 cents per kWh to charge up to 250 lift truck batteries. In addition, they are levied up to 10 […]