CHP Solutions Leads the Way in Co-Generative Power Transition

Source: · EMISSIONS REDUCTION ALBERTA · | March 8, 2022

Source: Emissions Reduction Alberta

Whether it’s a factory, farm, community pool, or shopping mall, combined heat and power (CHP) systems can have a big impact on lowering emissions, costs, and increasing efficiency. One upgraded Alberta manufacturing facility is set to be a prime example of how this technology can help in the green transition. 

A retrofitted CHP system at Structural Prescast in Claresholm, AB, where they fabricate precast structural concrete walls, is being installed by a local Alberta company, CHP Solutions Inc. With funding from ERA through the Energy Savings for Business (ESB) program, it will take a power-hungry, 80-year-old building that previously ran on a coal-powered boiler and transform it into a modernized and low-emissions facility 

“As the world transitions to a greener, more sustainable energy supply, Alberta’s innovators and entrepreneurs are seizing the opportunity to be leaders in this space. Thanks to the support from ERA, we have chosen to install a CHP cogeneration unit to further reduce the carbon footprint in our manufacturing facility,” said Frank Klaassen, Ice President of Business Development, Structural Precast. 

The high efficiency of the CHP unit will not only reduce operating costs, but it will also reduce carbon emissions of the facility by over 300 tonnes of CO2 per year. ERA committed just shy of $120,000 in incentives to the $460,000 project.

CHP works by generating electricity from the combustion of a fossil or renewable fuel. The wasted thermal energy generated from the power generation unit is captured and used for space heating, domestic hot water, and industrial processes such as steam generation. When paired with an absorption chiller, they can also provide cooling to buildings.

CHP Solution’s Sean David says, if your facility uses electricity and has a boiler, it could be a good match for CHP integration. Not only will you lower emissions and cut costs – the technology allows for power-related self-sufficiency and puts people in control of their own energy destiny, while reducing the overall load on the grid. This is important, as Alberta’s power grid is itself transforming and could see increasing costs over the next few years.