Cogeneration Fact Sheet

Harvard Green Campus Initiative

What is Cogeneration?
Cogeneration, (also called cogen, combined heat and power, or CHP) is the simultaneous generation of heat and electricity from a single fuel source. It is most commonly done in large electricity plants, where waste heat is captured and used for heating or cooling, thereby increasing the efficiency of the plant to greater than 90% (a typical power plant has a 35% efficiency rate). Newer cogeneration microturbines allow for cogeneration to be used directly in residential and commercial buildings. CHP systems can run on various fuels, including: natural gas, oil, coal, hydrogen, or renewables such as biodiesel, biomass, and biogas.

Freewatt
Honda makes a residential plug and play cogeneration system that is 85.5% efficient and provides 3.26 kW of heat and 1.2 kW of electricity. It generates electricity from natural gas, captures the waste heat, and transfers it to the furnace. It has a backup heating system for very cold days. It is run by a computer, is linked to the internet for easy access to the data, and is as quiet as a refrigerator. The system costs about $13,000 installed. Over 50,000 units have been installed in Japan since 2003 (marketed under the name Ecowill). The systems have been sold by Climate Energy in the United States since March 2007 (marketed under the name Freewatt). They will be releasing more cogen products in the future, including one that can use the excess heat for hot water.

Images from Climate Energy via Treehugger

Cogeneration Microturbines
Cogeneration microturbines are a new type of small combustion engine that produce 25-300 kW of power at greater than 80% efficiency (units can also be bundled together for larger loads). Cogen microturbines create electricity and heat; the heat can be used for water heating, space heating, or reheat for spaces such as laboratories. Cogen microturbines are distributed energy generation systems - they are located in the building that they supply energy to, decreasing the buildings dependency on the grid and increasing efficiency by eliminating transmission line loss. Cogen microturbines can run on natural gas, propane, hydrogen, diesel, biodiesel, or can be combined with solar panels. They can be used as a reliable backup power source or as a way to shave peak energy use. Cogen microturbines work best when there is a constant heat load throughout the year. The systems can be net metered in Massachusetts, allowing for excess electricity to be sold back to the grid, helping to recover costs. There are a few companies making cogen microturbines profiles of their products follow.

Tecogen
Tecogens cogeneration systems burn gas to produce electricity and hot water for a combined 83% efficiency. Systems range from 30-650 kW. A 75 kW cogen unit can provide 490,000 btus of thermal energy per hour. Tecogen is local and is located in Waltham, Massachusetts, and their units are sold by AmericanDG Energy in Waltham. American DG Energy owns and operates the module and sells the electricity and heat to the building at a price that is usually 5-15% lower than the local utilitys prices. The company provides all of the up-front capital and shoulders the risk for the duration of the 10-16 year contract. Tecogen units are used in multiple buildings at Harvard.

Image from Honda

Capstone
Capstones MicroTurbine comes in a range of sizes, including 30 kW, 60 kW, 65 kW, and 200 kW systems. They run on a number of different fuels including natural gas, biogas, flare gas, diesel, propane, and kerosene. The CHP (combined heat and power) system creates electricity and heat while the CCHP (combined cooling, heat, and power) system creates electricity and heat that can be connected to an absorption chiller for space cooling. The systems are 80% efficient. Prices for the smaller turbines are: C30 (30kW) microturbine: approximately $50,000 C65 (65kW) microturbine: approximately $80,000

Cogeneration Systems at Harvard

Blodgett Pool (1984)
Blodgett's natural gas powered Tecogen CM-60 cogeneration system is used for domestic hot water and to heat the pool. The system produces about 300,000 kWh of electricity per year. Heating costs have been reduced by about one half. A new processor was installed in 2002. The system is monitored remotely and data is collected regularly. Case Study

Shad Hall (2003)

Harvard Business School installed a natural gas fired 75 kW Tecogen cogeneration module, along with infrastructure for a second 75kW unit in the basement of Shad Hall. It produces approximately 600,000 kWh annually, which is about 20% of the building's energy use. The up-front cost was covered by the Harvard Green Campus Loan Fund and a Keyspan rebate covered about 1/4 of the costs.

Ingersoll Rand
Ingersoll Rand makes two gas-fired microturbines, a 70 kW and a 250 kW model. The turbines can operate indoors or outdoors. The machines lifespan is 15 years. A 250 kW model costs about $700,000.
Image from Ingersoll Rand

311 Arsenal Street (2005)

Harvard Real Estate Services installed two 75 kW cogeneration units to produce electricity and assist with perimeter heating, pool heating, and pool room dehumidification in this 370,000 square foot office and retail building. The project is estimated to have a less than four year payback. The system was partially funded by a rebate from Keyspan and the Harvard Green Campus Loan Fund.

Environmental Benefits
Because cogen microturbines are much more efficient than receiving electricity and heat separately from utilities, environmental pollutants such as CO2, NOx, and SOx are reduced. Cogen systems can be even more sustainable when they are run on renewable resources such as 100% biodiesel or paired with solar cells.

Malkin Athletic Complex Pool (2007)

A 75 kW Tecogen cogeneration unit was installed to heat the MAC pool. The system is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 197 tons annually. The system is 85% efficient. A $15,000 rebate from NStar Gas and money from the Harvard Green Campus Loan Fund helped pay for the project.

Rebates
Because natural gas and electricity use is reduced with a cogen unit, both local utilities offer rebates. Harvard has successfully received rebate from both NStar and Keyspan. Contact the companies directly to apply, as there is not a ready-made application for cogen units.

Blackstone Steam Plant

The Blackstone Steam Plant produces steam to heat 80% of the Harvard campus. The plant will be installing a backpressure steam turbine to make 5 MW of electricity as the steam is depressurized.

NStar
Call 1.800.232.0672 for more information.

Keyspan
Call 1.800.292.2032 for more information.

Harvard Green Campus Initiative, 46 Blackstone Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 www.greencampus.harvard.edu/cre

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