The University of Minnesota is a great example of a campus converting to newer technology and realizing big savings from converting to a new main energy plant. An article on the Big Ten Network website highlights the upgraded system and the people who make it work.
The university converted an old coal-burning energy plant to a natural gas-powered plant for it’s Twin Cities campus. Old boilers were replaced with a 22.8 megawatt combustion turbine and heat recovery system. The new plant generates power and steam for the campus, and is expected to reduce the net carbon footprint by 10-13 percent according to university officials.
Although Greenland was not involved in this effort, the article does a great job of explaining the benefits of a central plant upgrade, and the benefits realized in campus environments. As the article points out:
“McCord notes that on the energy production side, the changes that his team identify initially only add up to a few percentage point of savings on immediate energy costs, but because they’re centralized, the dividends pay off exponentially. Wherever it can be, heat generated by the Main Energy Plant and the smaller satellite plants on campus is recaptured and used to warm buildings, heat water and even power chillers that cool other areas of campus, such as labs and server banks.”
If you are considering a central plant reconstruction or boiler plant upgrade you may find the article helpful in explaining the project benefits to those who are less familiar with plant conversions and upgrades. Click here to visit the Big Ten Network website and read the article. Of course our team is always ready to talk about central plant projects for medical campuses, universities, industrial buildings and similar environments. Contact us today to discuss your project.
