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An historic hotel in New York City is proof that looking back can provide a sound foundation for forward thinking in wise energy production and use. The 79-yearold The New Yorker Hotel is a showcase for how distributed generation, a common fixture when the power industry was in its infancy, remains a key to the future of efficient production and use of electricity.
The 43 -story hotel near Madison Square Garden opened its doors on January 2, 1930 and was designed to be a worldclass benchmark for self-sufficient heating and power. Now, it's finally getting the credit for energy innovation it earned so many years ago, joining a club of sites, inventions and people honored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) with the Electrical Milestone Engineering Award. Established in 1983 to honor significant achievements in the history of electrical and electronics engineering, the award honors notable achievements made at least 25 years ago that involved unique solutions to an engineering problem and had at least regional impact.
The New Yorker is one of just 75 places, inventions or people to receive the award. It is also the first hotel to be so honored. The hotel's energy infrastructure was created by Warren D. Lewis,...