Distributed power generation equipments produce waste heat, which can be captured to replace or supplement gas and electric based heating and cooling systems. Several studies have demonstrated the benefit of combined heat and power (CHP) systems in commercial buildings (ref 1). When coupled with advanced power generation technologies such as fuel cells, the carbon footprint of the building system can be reduced significantly. Despite this, CHP systems are not prevalent in the commercial buildings industry. According to the 2003 CBECS study (ref 2), out of 4,900,000 commercial buildings in the U.S, only one (1) out of every 4300 buildings have CHP systems.

One of the gaps in the adoption of these technologies lies in the lack of innovative integrated solutions. The CHP technologies need to be closely integrated with other HVAC and refrigeration systems in order to fully utilize the energy savings while minimizing the overall cost. UTC Power is aggressively pursuing innovation in control and design strategies, in conjunction with our suppliers and customers, to address this technology gap.

In this presentation, we will provide recent real world examples of how our CHP products have been integrated into building HVAC systems. UTC Power's phosphoric acid based fuel cell power plant produces 200 kW net electric power as well as two hot water streams at 250F and 140F supply temperature each. This product has been sold commercially since 1991. The examples will demonstrate the innovative system and control packages that led to the integration of CHP products with other thermally activated technologies and building management systems. At one casino site, the hot water produced by our 200 kW fuel cell was used to pre-heat the condensate return of the steam boiler in a central steam based heating system. Additional heat was recovered from the fuel cell at lower hot water temperature for domestic hot water purposes. This system achieves >85% overall CHP efficiency at any given time. We are aggressively pursuing intelligent thermal integration solutions based on thermally activated technologies such as absorption chiller and desiccant dehumidifier for our next generation fuel cell. Discussion will focus on the status of such integration.

References

1) The Market and Potential for Combined Heat and Power in the Commercial Sector; Prepared by ONSITE SYCOM Energy Corporation for the Energy Information Administration, January 2000 2) Data from Energy Information Administration's “Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) 2003”