Cogeneration System to Provide U of U With Electricity and Hot Water

Apr 22, 2008 by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) As part of its Earth Day celebration today the University of Utah introduced its new $18 million cogeneration heat and electricity system.

"We use natural gas that fires up an electric turbine. When the turbine is fired up, it will generate approximately seven megawatts of electricity," says Mike Perez, the university's Associate Vice President for Facilities Management. "That electricity will be consumed on campus and therefore we do not need to buy."

In addition to generating electricity, Perez says the system's exhaust will be captured and used to heat water for all of the buildings on the main campus. Perez estimates the cogeneration system will pay for itself over the next 18 to 20 years.

"The initial savings may be somewhere around $600,000 per year. And then in the next decade or so the annual savings may be about $2.5 million per year," says Perez.

It's expected the system will supply 5% to 10% of the school's electricity and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 63,000 tons per year. It will be up and running by mid-July. In addition to introducing the cogeneration system, University of Utah President Michael Young signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and announced the school's Office of Sustainability will be made permanent.

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