Cogeneration

COMBINED CYCLE; Efficiently makes wind and solar reliable

What is Combined Cycle power generation?

The ordinary stand alone thermal power-plant rarely exceeds 40% efficiency; most of the heat value of the fuel goes up the chimney without doing any useful work whatsoever. This inefficiency is tremendously wasteful and contributes greatly to environmental degradation. Modern cogeneration plants generally exceed 80% efficiency.

In a cogeneration plant, heat recovery systems are attached to the exhaust stream of otherwise conventional thermal power-plants; the steam/hot water/hot air thus collected can be used for industrial processes, commercial refrigeration, and building heating and cooling. Hydrowest developed some of the earliest and most efficient commercial scale cogeneration plants, using plentiful and less polluting natural gas.

Gas fired cogeneration plants are needed to make the output from wind and solar plants firm; their quick starting capabilities are used to assure continuity of supplies from non-firm renewable resources, with a lower cost and much more efficiency than other firming technologies like pumped storage and battery/inverter systems.

Our History With Cogeneration

In the early-1980’s, Hydrowest was receiving a fair bit of publicity regarding our hydroelectric developments. About this time, the owner of a shut in natural gas well (no gas pipeline but a nearby electrical powerline) approached us regarding using his fuel to make saleable electricity and thus monetize his otherwise un-merchantable natural gas. Our research showed us that there was a little-known section of PURPA which required electrical utilities to purchase natural gas generated power, but only if the total plant achieved here-to-fore impossible efficiencies, and that compliance with the old Fuel Use Act was demonstrably impossible.

At this time, Ed Wetherbee joined our enterprise to lead the development of the cogeneration plants. After much travail, at Rifle CO, the country’s first PURPA compliant cogeneration plant was financed and constructed. This plant was rated at 85mW and used a 22 acre tomato green house as the heat host.

The success of the Rifle plant led to the creation of Cogen Technology, Inc and the development of the largest hydroponic vegetable growing company in the United States (Colorado Greenhouse, Inc.), supplying winter tomato’s to most of the country.

We were ‘first to market’ with this type of plant, and made a specialty of using refurbished combustion turbines (Generally GE Frame 5LA’s and Frame 6B’s) with new Vogt HRSG’s and refurbished STG’s. Our combined cycle cogeneration plant design was quickly copied by our competitors; none-the-less, we designed, financed, permitted, built, owned and operated natural gas fueled plants.