Institutions, companies, and various entities WANT to be green. At a trade organization dinner, a conference, or the occasional cocktail party you will here oil prices quoted within a dollar, another conversation will center on a wind farm project, a third might be an in depth discussion of national energy policy. If you can slip into the conversation you might ask one of the more knowledgeable speakers how many KW they purchased from the local utility for use in their own residence last month. What could be more proactive than being aware and taking control of your own little isolated box.
You want to go green with a wind generator? The designer will ask for your last five year usage history and design a 1 megawatt wind turbine at $1 per watt to match the historic load. It takes about 2 years to design, approve, and finance your wind turbine. Imagine spending $40,000 on a comprehensive maintenance and optimization program for two years prior to the design. Such programs can reduce consumption by 10 or 15% or aggressively applied, 30% or more. But there is no funding for operations & maintenance. I need capital benefits. So in the end the county executive presents you with a plaque for the largest greenest wind turbine connected to the most inefficient building in the county. Has it happened...... I am not aware of it.
Cogen sets? Pretty much the same.
A lot is the funding. Talk going green and sustainable and the conversation leads to funding sources. "Who will buy me equipment to help me save money?" Have we become a planet of green purchasers? "Buy one of those and save money." Use the deferred maintenance cost from the old equipment to enhance the ROI even though the new efficient model may be more maintenance intensive. A funding source had to buy it. Where will the maintenance money come from?
Remember the old story about people not recognizing opportunity when it knocks because it wears work clothes?
Well, the green sustainable renewable energy man was singing on my doorstep:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y67hStSFMso&feature=related
No work clothes on this one!
Hmmm cogen...
ReplyDeleteI know a hotel chain who has about 50:50 with without. (and we are talking hundreds).
On the sites with there is an interesting postive correlation. Run times in month (of the gen) vs total electrical load (gen + incoming).
Implication - Running Generators triggers electrical consumption. - OK a tiny parasitic load for pumps etc is normal, but for every kW generated they used another 800W ! - On average across hundred of hotels,
On investigation - the base heat load had been sized against gas consumption. (Silly) - It should have been sized against Gas consumption with boiler plant running efficiently.
So what happens -
1) Cogen pushes more heat into heating system
2) Boilers run less efficiently because of reduced load
3) Boilers dry-cycle at hgher temperature.
4) Heat loss from the header is greater
5) Chilling load is created
6) Electricity generated is use to ge t rid of byproduct heat of generating electricity.
Recommended solution - Rip out cogeneration, fix boiler and chiller sequecing - maintain iv for a year - then maybe consider cogen - base don real base load.
Sometimes salesmen should be shot - shortly after the idiots that buy from them !
Hi Bernie - Merry Seasons greetings etc.from ths isdee of the pond
Whoops sorry typos - too much xmas cheer
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