by Brianna Crandall — October 8, 2014—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized three industrial facilities last week with the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Award for their highly efficient CHP systems—energy production systems that decrease energy costs and reduce their carbon emissions, which cause climate change, explains EPA.
According to EPA, the companies have reduced their combined energy costs by over $54 million annually, and have reduced carbon pollution equal to the generation of electricity used by more than 63,000 homes. CHP systems used by the award winners achieve operating efficiencies of between 62 and 78 percent—much higher than the efficiency of conventional production of electricity and thermal energy, which can be less than 50 percent, notes EPA.
The Energy Star Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Award winners are:
- Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, TN
- Janssen R&D LLC, Spring House, PA
- Merck, West Point, PA
Combined heat and power (CHP), also known as cogeneration, simultaneously produces electricity and steam or hot water from a single heat source, using traditional or renewable fuels. By recovering and using heat typically wasted by the conventional production of electricity, CHP gives U.S. manufacturers a competitive edge by minimizing production costs while reducing carbon pollution, says EPA.
CHP is ideally suited for many industrial facilities as it provides reliable and cost-effective electricity and heat for a variety of manufacturing processes, including the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, where energy costs can be a significant portion of operating costs. By generating electricity on site, the systems also reduce demands on the nation’s electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Established in 2001, EPA’s voluntary CHP Partnership program seeks to reduce the environmental impact of power generation by promoting the cost-effective use of CHP. The partnership works closely with energy users, the CHP industry, state and local governments, and other clean energy stakeholders to facilitate the development of new CHP projects and to promote CHP’s environmental and economic benefits.
