CHP Assessments
Among the agency's many accomplishments in transforming the market for CHP has been its support for the conduct of CHP market assessments, including market analyses of CHP potential in national account sectors, such as supermarkets, restaurants, health care facilities, industrial sites, such as chemical, food processing, and pharmaceuticals plants, hotels and motels, and new commercial and institutional buildings and facilities used for infrastructure resiliency.
DOE has sponsored assessments of CHP throughout the nation, many of which have led to the design, development, and installation of CHP components and systems in hospitals, schools, university campuses, commercial and industrial sites, and at military installations, wastewater treatment facilities, office buildings, and farms. Numerous written and electronic materials have been produced, included a four-hour webcast on integrated energy systems (packaged system) installations at the A&P Supermarket in Mt. Kisco, New York, the Domain in Austin, Texas, and Ft. Bragg, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, all of which were supported by DOE's program funds.
These and other projects have shown that CHP is one of the few commercially available technologies in the marketplace for achieving near-term results – in energy efficiency, emissions reductions, performance, and reliability.
Norwiss Farms, Rice Lake, WI
In April 2006, Norwiss Farms of Rice Lake, WI, a 1,100 cow dairy farm, began operating an 848 kilowatt (kW) CHP system operating on anaerobic digester gas from cow manure. At a cost of $2.7 million, the farm expects to save $70,000 per year on animal bedding (a by-product of the anaerobic digestion process), with a simple payback period of less than 10 years. The project expects to avoid nearly 4,000 Metric Tonne (MT) per year equivalent of green house gas emissions.
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, LaJolla, CA
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development (J&JPRD) is a leading maker of personal care products, diabetes medications, and other pharmaceuticals. The company recently began operating a CHP system out of fear of being totally reliant on the grid. The CHP system saves around 3,200,000 pounds (lbs) of CO2/year. This is equivalent to the operation of about 285 automobiles. This project cost about $4 million and expects to provide over $1 million/year in energy cost savings.
Harbec Plastics, Ontario, NY
Harbec Plastics based in Ontario, NY, is a custom-injection molding company. Faced with rising energy costs in the 1990s and frequent energy problems, the company sought a new and innovative energy strategy. In 2001, the company decided to install a hybrid wind/CHP system, using 25 30kW Capstone MicroTurbines, fueled by natural gas. The plant expects to save 36% in energy costs, and achieve a payment period of 2½ years.
Conant High School, Illinois
The Midwest RAC performed engineering modeling to supplement architectural and engineering analysis, and recommended an engine-based CHP system with heat recovery for absorption cooling, process heating and hot water. The RAC's involvement in making presentations on this project to the local school board resulted in CHP being considered in the school's detailed engineering design. The project includes two 385 kW Caterpillar engines and two 300-ton York absorption chillers.
Ethan Allen Furniture Factory, Vermont
The factory planned to close due to high energy costs. The Northeast RAC recommended replacing the factory's steam engine with a steam turbine, using a biomass-fired boiler yielding under a 3-year payback, and saving over 10% of its energy costs. The factory owners accepted the RACs recommendations, and with the support and joint funding of the states of Vermont and New Hampshire and the Vermont Electric Cooperative utility, the Ethan Allen Furniture Factory has remained on-shore.