The University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) approach to addressing its growing campus energy demands was indeed worthy of a large public research institution.

Prior to issuing a request for quotes, the university commissioned a comprehensive study of the campus’ energy requirements. The resulting master plan served as a basis for a feasibility analysis for development of a cogeneration plant.

Once the committee determined that a combined heat and power project would make sense for UNH, it had the challenge of identifying a design/build operate and maintain contractor with technical experience, financial security and commitment to be the university’s partner to construct and operate an energy plant suitable for the next 20 years of growth. Initially, over 50 companies expressed interest in the project and the committee had the daunting task of reducing this field to three finalists who were requested to prepare detailed technical proposals defining the project.

In the bidding process, the university took an innovative approach and offered a stipend of $100,000 to the companies that were bidding on the project. The stipend was viewed as an inducement to challenge each competitor to provide innovative proposals that met the campus energy requirements utilizing best available technology while still achieving budgetary requirements. “We wanted each competitor to take the time to submit a truly innovative proposal and back it up with economic modeling for each of the design variations,” explained Allan Braun, former Assistant Vice President for Facilities at UNH Durham.

Faced with major budget cuts and rising fuel prices, efficient energy management is becoming increasingly important for higher education institutions. According to a recent study, 78% of higher education executives say they do not have a handle on controlling the cost, quality and reliability of the power delivered and consumed across their facilities. In addition, 91% say their facilities are not as efficient as they could be, as a result of sub-optimal energy management; 70% say they are currently seeking ways to optimize the use of energy assets and reduce maintenance.

Faced with major budget cuts and rising fuel prices, colleges are focusing on efficient energy management.

Ranked among the top energy-efficient research campuses, UNH was already at the top of its class even before the cogeneration project got under way. With propane-powered vehicles and a composting program, the university is a leader in the region in sustainability. Further, it has won several regional and national awards for its energy conservation efforts. A self-sufficient, environmentally friendly cogeneration plant—complete with continuous emissions monitoring system—that would cut NOx (Nitrous Oxide) emissions by about 30% and reduce SOx (Sulfur Dioxide) emissions by over 60% was certainly going to put another feather in its cap.

Finding an Optimum Solution
“Initially, the proposed solution proved to be less than optimal,” said Tom Pace, vice president at EMCOR Energy Services, a business unit of the Norwalk, CT-based EMCOR Group Inc., which ultimately won the contract to develop the cogeneration plant. “We were asked to explore an island mode plant. EMCOR’s research showed, however, that such an approach would not make economic sense.”

The campus has a scenic, rolling topography with woodlands, streams, and natural wetlands.

Ranked among the leading energy-efficient research campuses, UNH was already at the top of its class even before the congeneration project began.

Modeling a series of different scenarios, all of them projecting a 4% increase in electric load and a 2% increase in steam load over a 20-year period from the 2001 baseline, EMCOR concluded that the campus thermal load had to dictate the electrical generating capacity in order to obtain the highest efficiency from the facility. Consequently, a 7.9 MW dual fuel combustion turbine generator train, including a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) with a duct burner with a total capacity of almost 100,000 pounds of steam per hour, was the best configuration. The campus would constantly import power from the local utility, Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH), which could also be used for redundancy in the event the CHP facility was out of service.

“Breaking completely from the utility would not have allowed the university to use its heat load efficiently,” explained Pace. Instead of generating 10–12 megawatts of electricity and providing redundancy through additional equipment, EMCOR devised a solution that would meet about 75–80% of the electrical requirements for the campus, and approximately 85–90% of the steam load for the campus from the new CHP facility.

 Under this scenario, UNH will purchase about 10% of its annual electrical requirement in kWh from the local utility. Staying connected to the local grid will ultimately provide the university with more flexibility as well. In the future, for example, it is quite feasible that purchasing power from the utility could be more cost-effective than installing another combustion turbine and HRSG train.

 The UNH energy master plan recommended that the existing central boiler plant be abandoned. However, EMCOR considered the reasonably good condition of the existing steam generating equipment and proposed that this plant be left in service to provide redundancy and to meet peak steam loads exceeding HRSG capacity. This approach helped reduce construction time and cost. Additionally, since the existing boiler plant operates on No. 6 fuel oil, having this equipment in service would provide the university with greater fuel flexibility to meet a portion of its steam requirements utilizing a more cost-effective fuel.

The master plan had also suggested the installation of a central chiller node to be constructed in the combined heat and power facility. The UNH campus in Durham consists of over 5,000,000 square feet of buildings located on more than 1,000 acres of land. The campus is a rolling topography with woodlands, streams, and wetlands throughout. The challenges of getting chilled water lines from the central plant to the intended group of buildings to be served seemed to be prohibitively expensive. As a result, a new approach was devised—a satellite facility approximately three eights of a mile from the CHP location. It proved to be more efficient to construct a new electric-driven satellite chiller plant utilizing existing above- and below-grade electrical conductors than to excavate through heavy granite subsurface areas to accommodate large-diameter insulated pipes.

Meeting Construction Challenges
Containing noise and dust as much as possible was particularly important, given that construction was taking place in close proximity to research laboratories and student housing.

“Building a large cogeneration facility on an active university campus requires special attention to details, planning, and ongoing communication to ensure minimal interruption,” noted Pace. “To be successful, the contractors must work closely with the campus community to ensure the work has minimal impact on their daily activities while ensuring the project was on track.”

This special attention was particularly relevant when it came to transferring the entire mission-critical electrical distribution system to the new switchgear. By working closely together, campus and EMCOR personnel devised a detailed switching and cutover sequence that minimized outages.

Working in an academic environment not only has challenges, but also presents rewards and opportunities. Knowing they would be on campus for an extended period of time—planning and construction would be stretched over a three-year period—EMCOR proposed making the facility a teaching tool—an approach that was welcomed by the university. Civil and mechanical engineering students were invited to the site during geotechnical evaluation, while piles were being driven and pile caps and foundations were being poured. Additionally, an internship program was set up to provide employment for a UNH engineering student during construction and start-up activities. When the cogeneration facility is fully online, engineering students will be able to observe plant operations via computer, directly from the classroom. The project will soon serve as an on-campus case study for students in engineering economics and finance.

With the cogeneration project barely complete, UNH is already working to stay ahead of the technology curve as it relates to energy, looking at additional ways to reduce the institution’s dependence on outside energy resources. “Efficient energy management across our institution is clearly a top priority for us,” concludes UNH Facilities Assistant Vice President Paul Chamberlin. “The cogen plant gives us tremendous flexibility in selecting fuel types and balancing purchased vs. self-generated electricity. This will allow us to optimize our energy management in ways that were not possible in the past, and it means we can devote the maximum of our resources to educating our students.”

BRUCE ROSS is principal of Bruce Ross Associates Inc. in NY.

DE - September/October 2006