In the United States (US), Capstone Turbine Corporation, a leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, has recently announced that it has partnered with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Brenmiller Energy on a thermal energy storage project for Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY).
The project has received a US$1 million grant from the Israel-United States Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation to investigate low emission thermal energy storage as a means to increase the efficiency of standard combined heat and power (CHP) systems.
The installation will serve as a demonstration project for innovative thermal energy storage technology in New York. The collaboration is one of many projects deployed as part of New York State’s Energy Storage Roadmap that includes energy storage targets of 1.5 GW by 2025.
Our microturbine will directly pipe low emission exhaust gas into a Brenmiller bGen zero-carbon thermal storage unit so that it can extract and store the heat until it is needed. The system represents an alternative to battery storage with potentially greater discharge durations. This new groundbreaking thermal energy storage unit is designed to shift large amounts of energy over long periods of time, thereby providing an effective solution over other technologies when grid-scale energy storage of long duration is required. This new groundbreaking thermal energy storage unit is designed to shift large amounts of energy over long periods of time, thereby providing an effective solution over other technologies when grid-scale energy storage of long duration is required, said Darren Jamison, President, and CEO of Capstone Turbine.
Upgrade an aging heating system with CHP
RSP Systems, Capstone’s exclusive distributor in New York and Connecticut secured the order for the C200R microturbine that will be utilized in a CHP application.
The innovative cogeneration system will be installed to support Purchase College’s physical education building, displacing the aging district heating loop in the central heating plant and providing baseload electricity, which is projected to save the State University of New York about US$100 000 per year while reducing the facility’s carbon footprint.
RSP Systems is proud to have been selected as the prime mover for the cogeneration and thermal storage project at SUNY Purchase. Thermal storage improves a CHP system’s efficiency and effectiveness while enhancing its sustainable performance and hardens a facility. In addition, this project is an example of our shift to provide CHP-based hybrid solutions for our clients that can also benefit from adding battery storage, solar energy, and new technologies into their green energy and back-up power solution toolbox, said Cory Glick, President of RSP Systems.
