Windsor, Colo.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has added Encorp to its Combined Heat and Power Partnership.
The goal of the EPA partnership, comprised of approximately 93 companies, institutions, end users and government agencies across the country, is to reduce the carbon intensity of the energy sector through expanded use of combined heat and power installed in the U.S.
This year alone, the EPA is working with such partner organizations as Encorp, RealEnergy and NiSource Inc. to implement more than 400 MW of environmentally beneficial combined heat and power projects, which is enough power to meet the electricity needs of more than 400,000 homes in the United States a year.
“U.S. fossil-fueled power plants average just 33 percent efficiency,” said Luis Troche, EPA liaison to Encorp. “This means two-thirds of energy in the fuel is lost as heat. CHP systems recycle this energy, achieving effective electrical efficiencies of up to 70 percent.
“CHP is much more environmentally friendly,” Troche added, “reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, mercury, particulate matter and carbon dioxide—the leading greenhouse gas associated with climate change. And CHP helps conserve our limited fossil fuel resources.”
For Encorp, joining the EPA partnership gives the company a direct dialogue with the EPA on co-generation emissions-measurement issues, access to EPA research on CHP market studies and the benefits of having EPA representatives serve as an Encorp liaison on environmental and regulatory issues.
“It’s quite an honor to be included in the EPA partnership,” said Dennis Orwig, Encorp CEO. “Encorp technologies already are featured on CHP projects nationwide that produce a substantial amount of electrical and thermal power. Our involvement in the partnership will rapidly expand our involvement in additional CHP projects.”
