University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut is building a cogeneration facility at its Storrs campus to meet its growing energy needs. The high-efficiency combined-cycle plant is planned to be operational in 2005. The facility will provide UConn's Storrs campus with an electric capacity of approximately 24 MW, a steam capacity of 200,000 lbs per hour and a chilled water capacity of 6,300 tons.

"UConn is very excited about this project," said Larry Schilling, Executive Director of Architectural & Engineering Services at UConn. "Building a cogeneration facility gives the University the opportunity to reliably meet its long-term energy needs while continuing to be environmentally responsible."

UConn hired Dahlen, Berg & Co. to develop the conceptual plant configuration and the financial targets. Select Energy Services, Inc will build the plant under an EPC contract. Dahlen, Berg & Co. remains active in the project to ensure the design and implementation will meet the financial objectives.Their role is also to manage other aspects of the project so plant operation will be flexible, efficient, reliable and meet the long term needs of UConn.

The cogeneration plant will meet nearly all of UConn's projected 2010 electricity needs and improve reliability while producing fewer emissions than the existing plant. Additionally, the facility is expected to decrease UConn's energy costs over the entire forty-year design life of the plant.

UConn currently produces steam and chilled water at its Central Utility Plant and purchases electricity from The Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P). UConn's energy needs are growing as the University continues to construct a number of new buildings as part of its UConn 2000 and 21^st Century UConn projects.

The cogeneration plant will largely eliminate the University's dependence on the regional electrical system by providing UConn with a reliable on-campus source of energy to meet its power needs. The Eastern U.S. experienced a widespread blackout in the summer of 2003, and CL&P and other New England utilities prepared for possible rolling blackouts in mid-January 2004 due to a possible natural gas shortage.

The cogeneration facility will use natural gas, with fuel oil as a back-up fuel source, to fire three Solar Taurus 70 combustion turbine generators to produce electricity. Waste heat from the turbines is used to produce steam, which is then used in a steam turbine generator to produce additional electricity. Low-pressure steam will be distributed for campus use.

The campus electrical system will maintain an interconnection with CL&P's transmission system through a new dedicated substation. Pending approval from the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control, Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG) will construct a dedicated distribution interconnection to the Algonquin Gas Transmission high-pressure gas pipeline for the cogeneration facility. Plant control and operation of the Storrs campus Central Utility Plant will be integrated with the new facility.

The University of Connecticut was founded in 1881 and has approximately 26,000 total students. Storrs is UConn's main campus.

Minnesota-based Dahlen, Berg & Co., the manager of the project, has provided cogeneration planning and other energy supply management services since 1984.