FOR RELEASE: Immediately
CONTACT: Peter Sigurdson (716) 842-1522, ext 3006
SUNY - BUFFALO TO GENERATE POWER FOR CAMPUS USE
NYSERDA provides $310,000 for innovative, cost-saving effort
Buffalo, NY -- Oct. 17 - The State University of New York at Buffalo
(SUNYAB), known for its Nobel Prize-winning research in chemistry
and its commitment to providing a high-quality affordable education,
will now be known for another cutting-edge endeavor: the University
will produce some of its own electricity and use a by-product of the
generation process to heat its competition swimming and diving pools.
SUNYAB, with $310,000 in incentives from the New York State Energy
Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), plans to install and
operate a new combined heat and power (CHP) system that will use emerging
microturbine technology to produce electric power.
"SUNY Buffalo is a leader in education and a strong economic
catalyst for Western New York," said NYSERDA President William
M. Flynn. "By stepping up to the plate and installing this innovative
combined heat and power system, SUNY Buffalo is proving itself a leader
in implementing energy-efficient, environmentally sound energy technologies
that will lower operating costs. Less money spent on energy will mean
more money for educational resources."
NYSERDA, SUNYAB, Gerster Trane Sales and Services, Inc., and National
Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation partnered in this energy-efficiency
project that will reduce the University's annual electric usage by
about 2,000 megawatts hours per year, or enough to power more than
300 homes. This will result in over $70,000 in annual energy savings.
The total cost of the combined heat and power system is $620,000 with
NYSERDA providing half the funds from its Distributed Generation/Combined
Heat and Power Program.
Two 60 kilowatt Capstone micro-turbines, with heat-exhaust recovery
capabilities, will provide electric power to the pumps that continually
circulate water in the swimming pools in the Alumni Arena. Approximately
75 percent of the waste heat from the microturbine will be recovered
and utilized for heating the circulated water, therefore virtually
eliminating the need to use the existing electric heaters.
The result is that CHP systems typically double the fuel-use efficiency
when compared to delivering power from centralized power plants. The
CHP system at SUNYAB is designed to pre-heat one million gallons of
continuously circulating water in the competition swimming and diving
pools at the Alumni Arena.
"Gerster Trane is pleased to partner with NYSERDA, National
Fuel and the University on this demonstration project. We hope to
show that unitary packaged cogeneration systems are an efficient way
of meeting the University's electric and thermal requirements, particularly
at an all electric facility like the Amherst Campus," said Peter
Egloff, Energy Services Engineer, Gerster Trane Energy Services.
"The University at Buffalo is pleased to have entered into a
partnership with Gerster Trane, National Fuel and NYSERDA to install
a micro cogeneration facility at UB's Amherst Campus. This project
will allow the university to study the future benefits of additional
cogeneration facilities to better manage electrical costs and to assist
in the reduction of peak demands burdening the regional electrical
utility systems," said Michael Dupre, Associate Vice President
for Facilities, SUNYAB.
"With 15 years of experience in cogeneration and distributed
generation projects, National Fuel welcomes the opportunity to now
work with SUNY Buffalo and to partner once again with Gerster Trane
and NYSERDA to implement innovative technologies in our region,"
said David F. Smith, President of National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation.
"With regional electricity rates higher than the national average,
there are many opportunities for businesses and organizations like
the university to incorporate this technology to save on their energy
costs in environmentally friendly ways. We commend the university
for its commitment to this microturbine project and its creative approach
to reducing its operating costs at this facility with modern energy
technologies."
Funding for this project comes from NYSERDA's New York Energy
$martSM program, which is designed to lower electricity
costs by encouraging energy efficiency as the State's electric utilities
move to competition. New York Energy $martSM encompasses
many energy efficiency programs and is available to all electric distribution
customers (residential, commercial, institutional and industrial)
of Central Hudson, Con Edison, NYSEG, Niagara Mohawk, Orange and Rockland,
and Rochester Gas and Electric.
A component of New York Energy $martSM, the Power
Systems, Distributed Generation, and Combined Heat and Power Program
promotes the development and demonstration of distributed generation
systems, components, and related power system technologies; and combined
heat and power applications in industrial, municipal, institutional,
commercial, and residential sectors.
Since 1998, NYSERDA has provided more than $26 million to support
more than 500 projects in Erie and Niagara Counties. Combined with
co-funding from NYSERDA's partners, the value of these projects is
more than $65 million. Among some of the other customers NYSERDA is
working with in Erie and Niagara Counties, are: eBidenergy.com Inc.,
Kreher's Poultry Farm, HSBC Bank USA, and Niagara Frontier Transportation
Authority. For more information about NYSERDA, visit www.nyserda.org
or call toll-free (866)-NYSERDA.
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