June 30, 2008—In a major initiative to reduce energy and carbon emissions significantly, the New York Marriott Downtown, managed by Marriott International and owned by Host Hotels & Resorts, has installed a new “microturbine farm.”
The installation of two hotel owner-funded PureComfort systems built by UTC Power, a United Technologies company, reportedly makes the hotel the first in New York City to use this ultra clean technology to provide its own electricity, cooling, and heating on-site.
Waste heat generated by the system’s 11 microturbines is used for space heating, hot water, and air conditioning. Not only will the hotel lower its overall energy costs, but the innovative technology ensures there is a minimal environmental impact because of the ultra-low emissions and efficiency overall, says Marriott. The overall system efficiency will approach 80 percent, almost three times that of a conventional power plant.
On an annual basis, two typical PureComfort systems are designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1,700 tons (the equivalent of 360 acres of forest) and nitrogen oxide emissions by 10 tons (or the equivalent of the emissions of 530 cars), based on the US electric utility grid emission averages. In addition, 80 percent of annual steam usage will be displaced with a more cost-effective means of cooling and heating the hotel.
The facility has also registered the project with the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) for its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification program.
The New York Marriott Downtown is located at 85 West Street in Lower Manhattan, two blocks south of the World Trade Center site. The trigeneration installation comes on the heels of the completion of extensive hotel renovations.
