The CHP plant at the Greater Rochester International Airport (GRIA) received significant support from NYSERDA. The plant yields a reduction of more than 6 million kwh per year, saving GRIA approximately $400,000 in annual energy costs. The CHP plant consists of two 750-kilowatt engine driven cogeneration units that produce electricity and hot water. The hot water is linked to the existing airport heating system and also provides central cooling with absorption chillers. The plant is designed to provide emergency power back-up. This capability proved beneficial during the great East Coast blackout of 2004, when the airport maintained operations throughout the event.
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Harbec Plastics
Harbec Plastics produces highly engineered, precision plastic parts for the medical, automotive, consumer goods and other industries. The CHP plant we designed for Harbec is the first of its kind in NY State, and among the first in the world. The system consists of an array of 25 ultra-low-emission 30 kW Capstone Micro Turbines producing high-quality uninterrupted power. Heat recovered from 20 of the units powers radiant floor heating in the warehouse, drives an absorption chiller and provides additional space heating. The CHP plant reduces Harbec’s net energy cost by over 30%, ensures production continuity and lowers its environmental impact.
Fonda Fultonville School District
Facing rapidly rising energy costs, the K-12 Fonda-Fultonville Central School District in Fonda, New York, installed a 1.3MW combined heat and power system to power the school campus. This was the first grid–independent cogeneration project in New York state and today provides all the electricity, space heating and cooling needed for the 300,000 sq. ft. facility. The CHP system consists of four Cummins 334kW lean-burn natural gas engine generator sets, each with hot water recovery equipment that collects waste heat from the engine exhaust. In the winter, the generators provide electricity and the exhaust heat provides space heating for the campus. In warmer months, the system provides electricity and powers a 200-ton electric chiller and 200-ton absorption chiller for air conditioning.
Arrow Linen Supply
Arrow Linen is a commercial laundry in Brooklyn, NY. Every day, Arrow’s employees launder tons of table linens and uniforms for New York’s hotels and restaurants. It takes a lot of energy to turn soiled and grimy into spotless and tidy. In NY City, this energy is exceptionally expensive. Arrow Linen is using cogeneration to dramatically reduce operating costs and improve competitiveness.
The CHP plant we designed for Arrow Linen is built around two Coast Intelligen units of 150kW each. These are low emission natural gas–fired engine sets, with induction generators. Waste heat is recovered as hot water. This waste heat is used to preheat make–up water for the domestic hot water tanks and steam boilers (offsetting existing gas usage). The savings generated by the CHP plant financed several long–deferred capital projects. Among these is a complete electric service upgrade that included proper connection of the CHP power. A micro-processor controlled utility parallel system was installed to meet ConEd interconnection guidelines. The CHP plant is situated on the roof of the building. Since Arrow Linen is located in an upscale residential neighborhood, this necessitated sophisticated sound attenuation. This clean and quiet plant demonstrates that distributed generation can be integrated into a densely populated urban neighborhood.Energy Concepts is an engineering firm with a singular commitment: To maximize energy efficiency in our clients’ facilities. With over 60 CHP (Combined Heat & Power) plants, we are the leader in planning, design, permitting, commissioning and upkeep of on-site CHP plants. Our plants range from 150kW to 10MW and include gas-fueled engines, fuel cells and microturbines.
Clifton Springs Hospital
How long will a CHP plant operate? This question comes up routinely. The answer is simple– for as long as the CHP plant is properly maintained. Case in point– the CHP plant at Clifton Springs Hospital. First commissioned in 1994, it has been in continuous 24/7 operation since. This plant in a mission–critical setting delivers 99% overall availability, 365 days per year. Thermal output is used to heat the hospital and run a central absorption chiller of 300 tons. System efficiency is between 85% to 90%. Of special note is the fact the plant is located above an operation theater, and has to be especially quiet and vibration-free.
Arrow Linen finances plant upgrades with energy savings
Arrow Linen is a commercial laundry in Brooklyn, NY. Every day, Arrow’s employees launder tons of table linens and uniforms for New York’s hotels and restaurants. It takes a lot of energy to turn soiled and grimy into spotless and tidy. In NY City, this energy is exceptionally expensive. Arrow Linen is using cogeneration to dramatically reduce operating costs and improve competitiveness.
The CHP plant we designed for Arrow Linen is built around two Coast Intelligen units of 150kW each. These are low emission natural gas–fired engine sets, with induction generators. Waste heat is recovered as hot water. This waste heat is used to preheat make–up water for the domestic hot water tanks and steam boilers (offsetting existing gas usage). The savings generated by the CHP plant financed several long–deferred capital projects. Among these is a complete electric service upgrade that included proper connection of the CHP power. A micro-processor controlled utility parallel system was installed to meet ConEd interconnection guidelines. The CHP plant is situated on the roof of the building. Since Arrow Linen is located in an upscale residential neighborhood, this necessitated sophisticated sound attenuation. This clean and quiet plant demonstrates that distributed generation can be integrated into a densely populated urban neighborhood.Energy Concepts is an engineering firm with a singular commitment: To maximize energy efficiency in our clients’ facilities. With over 60 CHP (Combined Heat & Power) plants, we are the leader in planning, design, permitting, commissioning and upkeep of on-site CHP plants. Our plants range from 150kW to 10MW and include gas-fueled engines, fuel cells and microturbines.
Energy Concepts wins another Building Brooklyn Award™ for 2011
From brownstoner.com: “Today the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce announced the 13 winners of this year’s Building Brooklyn Awards, and they include projects like Williamsburg’s 184 Kent Avenue for adaptive reuse and Pratt Institute’s Myrtle Hall for education. As pictured above at top, the Newtown Creek is one of the winners for its Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Chamber describes the project thus: “The buildings are surrounded with green spaces placed to act as buffer zones between the plant and the street. The buildings are clad in colorful ceramic glazed brick, tile and stainless steel to create a dynamic presence on the waterfront and employ a flexible ‘kit of parts’ design to visually organize the plant by function and to ensure design continuity through the life of the project. The entire plant is covered in blue light at night, uniting the disparate elements of the facility and providing a glowing visual element against the skyline.” The awards will be held on Thursday, July 14, 2011, and the Chamber will also honor Jed Walentas of Two Trees Management and Deb Howard, the executive director of the Pratt Area Community Council during the ceremony.”
Brooklyn Building Awards:
-184 Kent Avenue, Adaptive Reuse
-Newton Creek, Civic and Institutional
-Pratt Institute- Myrtle Hall, Education
-Erasmus Hall High School, Historic Preservation
-Brooklyn Brewery, Industrial
-28 Old Fulton Street, Interior Renovation
-Brooklyn Ecopolis, Mixed Use
-Phoenix Beverages, National Grid Award for Energy Efficiency
-Brooklyn Bridge Park, Open Space
-Wyckoff Exchange, Retail
-The Domenech, Residential: Affordable
-Clinton Rising, Residential: Low Rise
-Mason Fisk, Residential: Multi-Family
The Toren Condominium Tower achieves LEED Gold certification
By Liana Grey at Real Estate Weekly:
“…a handful of new developments, particularly condos, are playing up LEED certification as a primary selling point. “The feedback I’ve gotten is that a lot of buyers will only look at green buildings,” said Marco Auteri, director of sales at the Toren, a condo tower in Downtown Brooklyn on track for LEED Gold.
On the building’s website, energy-efficient features like a cogeneration plant are listed under a tab labeled “responsibility.”
But it’s really the health benefits of green living (and the prospect of a healthy long-term investment) that have been a draw.
One buyer, Auteri said, was looking to upgrade from a dusty pre-war apartment, and had narrowed his search to green buildings. “Just from spending 20 minutes here, he noticed a difference in air quality,” Auteri said. “Our apartments are like zip-lock bags, sealed off from one to the other.” Cigarette smoke and other fumes can’t pass between units, and as a bonus, vents above each doorway filter in fresh air.
These and other green features are bound to impact resale value down the road, buyers believe. “The trend is that all buildings are going green,” said Auteri. “You don’t want to be stuck in a building that’s not.”
Buyers at the Toren, which is about 80% sold, are willing to pay a premium for filtered air and energy efficiency, he said. Otherwise, “in ten years, when you sell, you lose a bit of an edge.”
When sales slowed during the recession, details like low-VOC paint fell off the radar. “In 2009, green wasn’t so much a deciding factor as price,” Auteri said.
Now, eco-marketing is making a comeback in Brooklyn, as inventory shrinks and environmentally conscious buyers continue to stream into the borough.
With its major thoroughfares, office towers, and shopping centers, the borough’s commercial center may seem an unlikely hot spot as a green zone.
But down the block from the Toren, which sits on Flatbush Avenue near the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge, an abandoned lot filled with shipping containers is being transformed into a flea market. Each container will serve as a makeshift stall for food and other products.
Across the street from the market, two dilapidated brick buildings will soon be demolished and replaced with a park, Auteri said. An organic supermarket is leasing a storefront at the Toren’s base, and a handful of LEED-certified rental buildings, including the Brooklyner, have opened in the neighborhood.”
To read more of this article, please visit Real Estate Weekly.
For additional reading, see the Toren Condo official website.
