Mariah Energy Corp. - U.S. YMCA Pumps Up Their Energy Efficiency
CALGARY, Aug. 12 - The YMCA works to build strong kids, strong families, strong communities, and now they can also tout that they help to build a strong environment with the installation of Calgary-based Mariah Energy's 60/30 Heat PlusPower(TM) system at their facility in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.
Xcel Energy, the fourth largest combination electricity and natural gas energy company in the United States, purchased the Heat PlusPower(TM) system from Mariah Energy for installation at the YMCA.
The system being installed produces 60kW of heat and 30kW of electricity on-site. The system will generate electricity for the facility which demands approximately 270kW throughout the year, as well as providing heat for the swimming pool. The swimming pool requires hot water every month of the year, which ensures that the Heat PlusPower(TM) system is used to its capacity, increasing the energy efficiency of the system, and decreasing utility costs at the YMCA.
The Heat PlusPower(TM) system is the integration of an electricity generating microturbine, and a Heat Recovery Unit (HRU) that produces heat for hot water. The HRU captures the heat from the electrical production that would otherwise be wasted.
The 60/30 Heat PlusPower(TM) system reduces CO2 emissions, and NOx emissions as compared to conventional forms of generation. The system is highly energy efficient, reaching efficiencies of up to, and over 85%, as compared to the 37% typical of traditional electrical generation plants.
"Not only will facilities such as the YMCA reduce their emissions, but they will also reduce their operating costs," states Mariah's president Paul Liddy. "By reaching high energy efficiencies the systems can reduce utility costs by up to 25%, while providing increased energy security to the distributed customer."
"This demonstration project will serve an example of how emerging energy technologies, such as microturbine CHP systems, can help our customers save money while helping the environment," said Anne Adrian, Product Developer, Xcel Energy.
This 60/30 system brings the total number of systems purchased by the utility to twelve. The partnership between Xcel Energy and Mariah Energy Corp. began one year ago. |
