CHP Initiative

Buildings account for almost 40 percent of US energy consumption and they have a major impact on national energy use. The bulk of that energy is generated in large power plants in a traditionally inefficient process that wastes a large amount of thermal energy and releases an enormous amount of CO_2. The power plants have been recognized as one of the major contributors of acid rain and global warming. Currently buildings have been designed with mechanical equipment operating solely on electric energy without appreciable concern on responsible energy consumption. The latter becomes an option with the advent of new technologies such as CHP Systems.

A more energy-efficient and environmentally benign approach for building operation is on-site generation of electricity from natural gas along with utilization of thermal energy available from the power generation process. The thermal energy that otherwise is wasted can be utilized for heating and cooling. The most promising emerging technologies in power generation are fuel cells and micro-turbines that can be effectively integrated with advanced cooling technologies, such as desiccants and absorption chillers.

This concept of small-scale CHP systems operated with natural gas is referred to as Buildings: Cooling, Heating, and Power (CHP) concept. The CHP concept is gaining considerable support very rapidly, and led to the DOE sponsored CHP initiative that outlines a roadmap to implement CHP technologies in commercial buildings. The initiative has been endorsed by a number of manufacturers, utility companies, and research institutions. The energy secretary set a goal that by the year 2020 CHP technology will be preferred system for commercial buildings.

In order to achieve this bold goal, two major items must be addressed: Research must to be conducted to ensure optimum integration of the systems and convincing demonstrations are needed which will provide insight into the optimum integration of CHP technologies for commercial buildings.

The CHP research and demonstration project at the University of Maryland is one of the first research and demonstration facilities for CHP technologies.

Electricity is used to power mechanical and computer equipment in buildings. However, it is well known that the electric grid is becoming increasingly susceptible to service interruptions due to peak and highly variable demands. Grid reliability becomes a critical issue in a deregulated market. If CHP technology is readily available as an alternative system, future demand of electricity can be met in an environmentally responsible fashion, operational cost savings and increased indoor air quality.

While there is little doubt that CHP leads to operational cost savings, its successful implementation hinges on the drastic reduction of first cost. This can be achieved through a "Plug-and-Play? concept where CHP components are integrated into systems through just-in-time manufacturing methods. The proposed project will deliver valuable background information that will enable manufacturers? implementation of this concept.