by Shane Henson — January 6, 2012—Governor Paterson Towers, a 225-unit, 30-story, residential high-rise located in Paterson, New Jersey, will soon see a deep drop in their electricity prices with the help of American DG Energy Inc., an on-site utility offering clean electricity, heat, hot water and cooling solutions.
Under the terms of the agreement, Governor Paterson will receive a significant portion of its energy from a 75 kW combined heat and power (also called CHP or cogeneration) system, which will be owned and operated by American DG Energy. Governor Paterson will receive a discount on the energy produced by the CHP system and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The value of the agreement to the company is $1.9 million over the 15-year term.
According to American DG Energy, CHP systems offer considerable environmental benefits when compared with purchased electricity and on-site-generated heat from a boiler. By capturing and utilizing heat that would otherwise be wasted from the production of electricity, CHP systems require less fuel than equivalent separate heat and power systems to produce the same amount of energy. Because less fuel is combusted, greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, as well as air pollutants like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, are reduced.
The CHP system planned for Governor Paterson Towers will be comprised of a CM-75 Ultra by Tecogen, which is equipped with a proprietary ultra-clean emissions technology and has recently been granted the new air emissions certification from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. This certification eliminates the process of applying for pre-construction operation certification and air permits prior to installation, which will save time and money on implementation of this project, says American DG Energy. In addition, the CHP system is expected to reduce the residential property’s emissions by 252 tons of carbon dioxide annually, the equivalent of removing the carbon emissions of 42 cars each year.
