The WAIRE Program, developed by South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), uses a menu-based point system to regulate warehouse operators and owners for various behaviors. Simply defined, the WAIRE Program forbids warehouse owners and operators from employing machinery and energy that emits nitrogen and diesel fumes.
What is the WAIRE Program?
In important counties, including Orange County, Los Angeles County, and Riverside County, the Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions (WAIRE) Program or Rule 2305 strives to establish an environmentally friendly atmosphere. This program’s main goal is to enforce environmental regulations on regional and local warehouses in Californian counties. The South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (South Coast AQMD) quality criteria must allow only a certain degree of emission..
To enhance air quality by lowering nitrogen and other harmful environmental pollutants, South Coast AQMD launched the WAIRE Program in May 2021. Decreased breathable air will result from a sharp increase in nitrogen levels. Nitrogen can build up in American rivers like the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin, resulting in nitrogen pollution.
WAIRE Compliance and Reporting Standards
The WAIRE Program oversees warehouses with 100,000 square feet of area in a single structure. The WAIRE reporting and compliance rules apply to 2,902 warehouse owners and 3,995 warehouse operators. The need for more renewable energy vehicles and trucks among the owners and operators may make compliance with challenging. According to their warehouse operations, they must adopt zero-emission vehicles and transport refrigeration units.
The WAIRE initiative encourages warehouse operators to minimize nitrogen emissions since the South Coast has the poorest air quality in the country. By 2031, SCAQMD anticipates a 10% to 15% reduction in emissions. Learn more about the WAIRE Program compliance and standards to get accustomed to this environmentally friendly initiative.
Menu-Based Point System
The South Coast AQMD requires warehouse operators and owners to adhere to a point system based on a menu. You will receive certain points each year when selecting equipment for alternative energy generation. There are three main ways in which warehouse operators can earn points. These include:
- Adhering to WAIRE’s combination of actions
- Mitigation fee payment by WAIRE
- Completing activities in a WAIRE plan
Warehouse operations with trucks and chargers for zero-emission vehicles are eligible for savings incentives from SCAQMD. Additionally, gaining more points will provide you with other perks, like moving them to another warehouse and saving extra points for the following year. Submitting a mitigation fee entitles you to WAIRE Program benefits as well.
Using a formula, SCAQMD determines the number of points or WAIRE Point Compliance Obligation (WPCO). You must incorporate renewable energy production equipment in warehouse facilities since WPCO counts emission levels differently.
WAIRE Points
WAIRE points are one of the most crucial elements of the program. To comply, each California-area warehouse must accumulate a set number of points annually. You need to take as many journeys as possible, utilizing different modes of transportation to gather them. Trips to and from the warehouse are included in the calculation. The travel will be increased by 2.5 if they are done by heavy vehicles like tractors or tractor-trailers.
There are more methods to accumulate points. You may carry out any of the WAIRE Menu’s action combinations that would assist you in getting the required number of points. Additionally, you will be rewarded with points for taking actions permitted under the site-specific custom plan. Lastly, paying the mitigation fee is one of the simplest methods to earn WAIRE points.
A warehouse must earn an appropriate number of points during the compliance period. It is possible to earn more points for the year than is required. Warehouse operators and owners can move these points to a different storage facility under their control.
Compliance Strategies for WAIRE Program
The warehouse must obtain adequate WPOC to adhere to regulation 2305. It is important to fully comprehend how points are determined to achieve the appropriate amount.
Truck journeys are regarded as one-way journeys. Trucks or tractors transport the supplies from the storage to the chosen destination during these excursions. The journey is counted when the vehicle arrives or exits the facility. The number of journeys for a truck visit is two for each visit. According to Rule 2305, each journey conducted during the compliance period counts as a weighted annual truck trip. The website lays out an equation that allows warehouse operators interested in the WAIRE Program to navigate the point system easily.
To begin with compliance, all warehouse operators who are subject to the requirements must file reports to South Coast AQMD. This includes those who operate on more than 100,000 square feet of land in a single structure and are located close to Californian counties. Different information must be included in this report, such as all information on logistics operations and their adherence to Rule 2305.
Alternative Energy Equipment
By utilizing renewable natural resources or technological processes, renewable energy production technology generates clean energy. For instance, while sunshine and wind are still shining and blowing, you can utilize them. Renewable energy is frequently considered to be the newest technology. Meanwhile, solar and wind energy have been useful for homeowners and business owners for millennia. Here are a few types of relevant energy sources.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is the least damaging to the environment compared to other energy sources. It neither pollutes the water nor contributes to the production of greenhouse gases. Additionally, it needs a tiny quantity of water for upkeep; nuclear power plants need around 20 times as much water.
People have used solar energy for thousands of years to dry crops, stay warm, and grow crops. It is a productive technique to produce energy that is better than wind energy.
Businesses will use the utility company’s power less frequently by producing electricity themselves. Additionally, it will lower energy costs, and companies can make money by selling any extra electricity generated back to the grid. With the help of the available solar panel grants, it is possible to raise the value of your green investment.
Wind Energy
Going back to wind generators doesn’t align with the newest technology and innovation, but is another renewable energy source. With the power of the strong wind, the broad turbine blades spin and charge electric generators. The generators can be used subsequently to generate power. However, a lot of storage facilities still employ this technology to produce alternative energy.
Wind energy, which produces 9.2% of the country’s power, is among the most affordable energy sources in the country. Wind turbines can appear everywhere there are strong winds, including mountaintops, vast plains, and even open water.
Hydroelectricity
In the near future, wind energy is predicted to surpass hydropower as the primary renewable energy source in the nation. Hydropower produces energy by rotating a generator’s turbine blades with water—often fast-moving water in a wide river or swiftly dropping large amounts of water from a high point.
This energy-generating equipment saves enormous quantities of grid electricity while producing eco-friendly electricity. However, generating energy without a power grid using hydroelectric power can be expensive.
How Does Coldwell Solar Provide Solar Energy Solutions to Warehouse Operators?
Coldwell Solar offers options for solar-powered energy production in warehouses. Consult our specialists to design and carry out the changeover of solar energy-producing equipment. Our skilled staff can design a unique warehouse layout that complies with the WAIRE Program.
The price of power is always going up. Power typically accounts for 15% of a warehouse’s overall operating costs. Rooftop solar equipment from Coldwell Solar costs 17% and 27% less than equipment used in businesses and industries.
If your business uses a lot of power to run equipment and internal and exterior lighting, finding other energy sources, such as solar energy, is a great way to reduce your costs as a warehouse operator.
The Impact of The WAIRE Program
The South Coast AQMD created the WAIRE Program to reduce and eventually eliminate dangerous gases like nitrogen from warehouses. The governing board of WAIRE established a points system to motivate operators and owners to improve the environment. This approach encourages facilities to utilize environmentally friendly machinery and vehicles by awarding points.
Solar energy solutions from Coldwell Solar enable warehouses to adhere to WAIRE implementation standards easily. Utilizing equipment for alternative energy generation may greatly reduce nitrogen emissions, improving the impact on the environment. Therefore, Southern California based warehouses can focus on implementing solar-powered energy systems with our support and expertise.
