September 7, 2001—Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, Mo., has been selected by the Department of Energy to pioneer development of the first generation of Buildings Cooling, Heating and Power (BCHP) systems.
BCHP systems integrate on-site power generation with heating, cooling and humidity control equipment to meet energy needs in commercial, institutional and multi-family buildings.
The BCHP concept is aimed at reducing the demand on the nation’s electrical transmission grid, increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and improving indoor air quality. BCHP systems also provide building owners with protection from power outages and rising electricity rates. By sponsoring research and development of BCHP technologies, the DOE hopes to make these systems the preferred method of energy utilization in buildings by 2020. Burns & McDonnell, partnered with Solar Turbines Inc. and Broad USA, was awarded approximately $3 million as part of a cost-share contract to design and construct a prototype BCHP system.
The system will use a natural gas-fired turbine in combination with absorption chillers to provide electricity, cooling, heating and hot water. A key feature of the system is the utilization of the waste heat produced by the operation of the turbine. In systems that productively use waste heat, overall energy efficiency levels can be raised to 70% or greater. For more information, contact Burns & McDonnell.
