Why American Colleges and Universities Choose CHP, DG, and Microgrids

by | Sep 7, 2018

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CHP

(Photo: Inside Cornell University’s combined heat and power plant. Credit: Cornell University)

Combined heat and power facilities along with microgrids and distributed generation are gaining popularity at American colleges and universities as part of strategies to improve efficiency and lower emissions. Although CHP, microgrids, and DG aren’t a panacea, they are increasingly making sense for campuses with critical loads, Plant Engineering reports.

Having one large distribution network of buildings, living spaces, and research facilities located on a contiguous property make universities ideal candidates for CHP, DG, and microgrids, Chris Lyons, manager of power generation at San Diego-based Solar Turbines told the publication.

Having a reliable energy supply and the ability to integrate a variety of generation assets are the main drivers for implementing a microgrid, Lyons pointed out. They also help reduce costs. “CHP is a more efficient means of producing energy, which equates directly to utility savings,” Lyons said. “Solar and wind offer tax credits and other benefits.”

Cornell University’s combined heat and power plant was cited as a prime example. The university replaced coal-fired boilers with two Solar 15-MWe Titan 130 gas turbine generator sets for its CHP plant in 2009, Plant Engineering reported. Now, the Cornell Combined Heat and Power Plant generates approximately 180 million kilowatt-hours annually and provides the majority of electrical power for the campus, according to the university.

“The natural gas fired project at Cornell University was installed to meet growing steam demands, provide onsite distributed generation after concerns over the August 2003 Northeast blackout, and to replace older coal fired boilers that would have been subject to new environmental regulations,” Lyons commented.

He added that the plant uses duct firing of the turbine’s exhaust heat to meet peak winter steam demands for heating. Also, when demand dips in the summer, the plant can use the steam in combined cycle with the steam turbine for overall efficiency.

Texas Wesleyan University is another example. In 2015, the university launched a major energy-saving initiative that included a natural gas-powered CHP plant, which now supplies 80% of the power to their campus.

Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, announced plans last year with FuelCell Energy to install a 1.4-megawatt combined heat and power fuel cell plant. Once up and running, the college expects that the plant will save about 30% in energy costs and contribute to a 39% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

The increasing number of cogeneration projects at colleges and universities across the country comes as no surprise. Lyons called CHP an effective resource that should be part of the local microgrid. “CHP plants also can use the energy outputs to provide thermal storage of chilled water and even heat to provide better overall security of energy supply to the microgrid,” he said.

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