The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will invest $20 million in combined heat and power generation projects to improve energy efficiency at 19 hospitals, paper mills, supermarkets, apartment complexes and other facilities in New York City and upstate.
Funding for the projects will leverage an additional $68 million in private investment toward the cost of buying and installing the technology, which generates on-site electricity while also making use of the heat created during generation.
Combined heat and power (CHP) is considered a clean-energy technology, and is also known as “cogeneration.” When power is generated by burning a fuel, typically natural gas, the heat created usually goes up the chimney or smokestack, wasted. CHP instead reclaims the heat, using it to provide heat or hot water to buildings, for manufacturing or other uses. Since power from CHP is generated on-site, there is no transmission loss as there is when electricity is moved over power lines.
The NYSERDA incentive pays between 30 to 50 percent of the cost of a CHP project, up to $2 million. The exact percentage is based on a variety of considerations. For instance, extra funds are available for such factors as the site’s availability as a “place of refuge” during a disaster.
“Combined heat and power is a technology that has huge potential to reduce the strain on the state’s electric grid in New York, and NYSERDA is proud to support it,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA. “CHP will help reduce air pollution in the state’s most densely-populated areas, and will also help conserve our limited fossil fuel resources and increase the nation’s energy self-sufficiency.”
Most of the projects approved in this program burn natural gas, but do so much more efficiently than conventional electric-generation techniques. Several upstate projects under this program will be fueled by sustainably-harvested biomass consisting of wood chips.
The selected projects represent more than 22,000 kilowatts (kW) of new generation capacity. All projects will be capable of operating during a power outage.
The projects vary in scope. The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan will install a $4.6 million system to provide both power and heat to the famous decommissioned aircraft carrier that is now one of the city’s leading tourist attractions. On a smaller scale, a variety of condominium projects in the city are converting to CHP to heat and electrify the buildings.
The largest CHP projects include a hotel on NYC’s Madison Avenue and two North Country paper mills that will use wood chips to generate electricity.
Over the past 10 years, NYSERDA has invested more than $100 million in CHP technology. This has helped to cut energy costs and reduce the energy use of industrial, commercial, institutional and multifamily residences.
PROJECT DETAILS:
(All projects are currently just natural-gas powered unless noted.)
Manhattan:
- The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum – 400 kW, $4.6 million. NYSERDA funding: $2 million.
- The Churchill, a multifamily residence, 300 E. 40th St. – 150 kW, $975,000. NYSERDA funding: $487,700.
- Silver Towers, a multifamily residence, 620 West 42nd St. – 300 kW, $1.5 million. NYSERDA funding: $750,000
- Jefferson Towers, a multifamily residence, 700 Columbus Ave. – 100 kW, $786,000. NYSERDA funding: $393,000.
- Chelsea Mercantile Condominium, 252 7th Ave. – 200 kW, $1.2 million. NYSERDA funding: $619,000
- Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corp’s Urban Horizons, a multifamily residence, 50 E. 168th St. – 75 kW, $565,000. NYSERDA funding: $282,000.
- Roosevelt Landing, a multifamily residence, Roosevelt Island – 300 kW, $1.7 million. NYSERDA funding: $875,000.
- The 60 E. 8th St. Condominium – 200 kW, $1.4 million. NYSERDA funding: $686,000.
- The New York Palace Hotel, 455 Madison Ave. – 780 kW, $5.6 million. NYSERDA funding: $2 million.
Other NYC-area locations:
- Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx – 990 kW, $3 million. NYSERDA funding: $1.5 million.
- Seaside Plaza, a multifamily residence, Father Capodana Blvd., Staten Island – 100 kW, $575,000. NYSERDA funding: $287,000.
- Concord Court, a multifamily residence, 55 Bowen St., Staten Island – 100 kW, $565,000. NYSERDA funding: $282,000.
- Whole Foods Market, Yonkers (two sites) – 314 kW, $1.4 million. NYSERDA funding: $709,000.
Upstate:
- Utica: ConMed Corp., a manufacturer of medical and surgical equipment– 2,310 kW, $7.5 million. NYSERDA funding: $2 million.
- Syracuse: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry– 195 kW gas-fired engine; 275 kW biomass turbine. $2.4 million. NYSERDA funding: $963,000.
- Potsdam Specialty Paper – 960 kW (biomass), $13.7 million. NYSERDA funding: $2 million.
- Newton Falls Fine Paper – 13,600 kW (biomass), $23.7 million. NYSERDA funding: $2 million.
- Dunkirk Housing Authority – 49 kW, $796,000. NYSERDA funding: $316,000.
More on renewable energies
Department of Energy Announces up to $70 Million to Advance Technology and Reduce Cost of Geothermal Energy
Renewable Energies For Your Home
The Daily Green Story About BP Solar Jobs Being Lost in Maryland
Martifer Solar USA Moves North County Transit District Towards a Greener Future
Solar Homes Do Better In Real Estate Market.
