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EPA Recognizes Campuses for Use of Combined Heat and Power

Release Date: 02/23/2011
Contact Information: Stacy Kika, Kika.stacy@epa.gov, 202-564-0906, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is recognizing three facilities with the Energy Star Combined Heat and Power (CHP) award for simultaneously producing electricity and useful thermal energy from a single energy source, such as natural gas, biomass, coal, or waste heat. This technology leads to energy savings and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants, helping to protect the health of Americans.

By designing more efficient facilities, the three award winners have prevented carbon emissions equivalent to the annual emissions from more than 29,000 passenger vehicles. The University of Massachusetts Amherst, Cornell University and National Institutes of Health CHP systems achieve operating efficiencies ranging from 76 percent to 79 percent. For comparison, the efficiency of separate production of electricity and thermal energy is typically less than 50 percent.

The EPA CHP Partnership, established in 2001, is a voluntary program that encourages the use of CHP to reduce the environmental impact of power generation. The partnership works closely with energy users, the CHP industry, state and local governments, and other energy stakeholders to facilitate the development of new projects and to promote energy, environmental and economic benefits.

More information about the CHP Partnership: https://www.epa.gov/chp

More information about the CHP awards:
http://epa.gov/chp/public-recognition/current_winners.html