by Shane Henson — November 11, 2013—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized two federal facilities with the ENERGY STAR Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Award for their highly efficient CHP systems, which increase the reliability of their electricity supply while reducing carbon pollution that causes climate change.
CHP, also known as cogeneration, simultaneously produces electricity and useful steam or hot water from a single heat source, using fuels such as natural gas or renewable landfill gas. By recovering and using heat typically wasted by the conventional production of electricity, CHP helps federal facilities achieve goals to reduce carbon pollution and energy use, says the EPA.
The award winners were the Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) Albany, located in Albany, Georgia; and the National Archives and Records Administration, located in Washington, D.C.
The MCLB Albany CHP system uses renewable landfill gas to produce energy that supports essential base operations, saving approximately $1.3 million annually in energy costs and reducing carbon pollution equal to that from the generation of electricity used by more than 1,200 homes, calculates the EPA. The National Archives and Records Administration CHP system achieved an operating efficiency of 72 percent—much higher than the efficiency of conventional production of electricity and thermal energy, which can be less than 50 percent, adds the EPA.
According to the agency, CHP is ideally suited for many federal facilities as it provides reliable electricity, heat, and cooling for offices and other facilities. Just as important, it protects data servers and other resources that are vulnerable to power outages. A U.S. Department of Energy assessment of the potential for CHP at federal facilities indicated that CHP could be used at hundreds of facilities, increase power reliability, reduce transmission congestion, save taxpayers more than $150 million annually, and prevent carbon pollution equal to that from the generation of electricity used by more than 370,000 homes.
Established in 2001, EPA’s 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 their environmental and economic benefits.
