Gas Turbine Generators To Raise Energy Output, Efficiency on Campus

By January 2010, two new gas turbine generators will be up and running, increasing both electricity and heat production for Cornell. Fashioned through a project by the Cornell Combined Heat and Power Project, these generators will both improve production efficiency and contribute to the sustainability measures being taken by the University.

The idea for the creation and implementation of these gas turbines was hatched in 2002 when the University began to look at new options for generating electricity and heat. There were “several ways to solve [the] problem,” said Tim Peer, project manager of the CCHHP. Some options included the use of new package boilers or solid fuel boilers. “Or [we also looked toward] completely different technology — combustion turbines with heat recovery steam generators,” he said.

After further investigation, the CCHHP determined that gas turbines were the most cost-effective option. For the next 20 years, the gas turbines will increase the production of electricity to fulfill 80 percent of the campus’s annual needs, compared to the current production of 15 percent. The turbines will also produce enough free steam as a by-product of the generation of electricity to heat buildings on campus, cutting the current use of coal in half.

In a combustion turbine, heated gas enters the turbine and is ignited to induce work by the turbine’s components. Energy is then extracted from the turbine in the form of electricity, and steam is formed as an additional product.

By producing such a large amount of electricity and heat directly on the University campus, there will be “no transformer losses transferring the energy to the grid,” said W.S. “Lanny” Joyce, manager of Engineering, Planning and Energy Management and project executive. Currently, 5 to 6 percent of the energy being transported to Cornell is wasted in the transfer. “We’re pushing toward more and more of these sources, to [produce electricity] closer to where it’s being used,” Joyce said, noting the potential energy savings created by eliminating the need to transport the energy from off campus.

As the gas turbines will help to conserve the energy produced, electrical efficiency will be increased to 85 percent. Consumption of energy by the University will be reduced by 20 percent.

Additionally, the use of turbines will come with enormous environmental benefits. “[The gas turbines will help in] reducing carbon dioxide and other pollutants. We’ve really been looking toward carbon efficiency since 2002,” Joyce said.

As a result, the University’s carbon footprint will be decreased by 50,000 tons annually. The gas turbines will also help to fulfill the Climate Action Plan, an initiative striving towards climate neutrality by 2050, and will assist in the completion of the Kyoto Protocol treaty goal.

The CCHHP is also working with the University to reduce the amount of steam and electricity utilized by the campus buildings.

“We [need to not only] reduce our use through energy conservation, [but also look to] meet the future demands that Cornell will have,” said Edward Wilson, central heating and plant manager. In this way, not only will the gas turbines themselves meet the electricity and heat needs of the University to a greater extent, the needs themselves will also be cut to reduce excess use.

According to Joyce, there are two additional components of the project. The first is to completely rebuild the way electricity moves through Cornell to provide greater reliability and safety. The second is to acquire “a new fuel supply to provide natural gas for the turbines, as [the usage will increase] by a large factor [as compared to before],” he said. “We used to use 65,000 tons and 100 decatherms, whereas this project [will necessitate the use of] close to 2 million decatherms,” Wilson said. However, he noted that the overall gas usage will not increase, as the gas turbines will use recycled heat from other parts of the New York State as an element of the district energy industry called “waste heat recycling.”

“It’s a big win,” he said.

After three summers of construction, the gas turbines are almost ready. Test runs are currently being made using small amounts of electricity throughout the campus. The transition to the full use of gas turbines in January of 2010 is expected to be smooth.