December 31, 2004—Northern Power Systems has been awarded a $4.1 million contract for a 1.6 MW on-site combine heat and power (CHP) system in a Class-A office building in New York City. The project will represent the first system of its kind to be synchronously interconnected to the critical midtown network grid of utility provider Con Edison. The system will handle 60% of the 450,000-sq.ft. building’s electrical usage and 65% of its cooling and heating needs.
The project is supported by a $745,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The building, at 717 Fifth Avenue, is owned and leased by Equity Office.
Designed and built by Northern on a turnkey basis, the system will generate electric power during on- off-peak hours; it will provide chilled water in the summer and hot water in the winter. It is sized to provide nearly two-thirds of the building’s peak summer electric demand. In addition, the new system is capable of providing additional backup power in the event of a blackout, in conjunction with the building’s existing diesel generator, which covers fire and life safety systems. Whenever the system operates, the building remains connected to Con Edison, running in parallel operation with their grid.
By capturing the waste heat from the engine generators and using it to drive both heating and cooling systems for the building, the system is expected to achieve a combined efficiency of more than 73%, more than double the efficiency of power supplied by the grid. The higher efficiency of the on-site power system, Northern further explains, translates into significant energy cost savings and an attractive return on investment for Equity Office. At the same time, the higher efficiency will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Although its primary function is to increase the building’s efficiency, explains Northern, the system can also provide backup power capable of keeping the building operational during an extended power outage, such as the one experienced by tenants during the August 2003 blackout.
Northern Power Systems is a wholly owned operating unit of Distributed Energy Systems Corp.
For more information, visit www.northernpower.com.
