Earlier this week I had the distinct honor of participating in the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground Combined Heat and Power (CHP) groundbreaking.  Major General Bruce Crawford, APG’s Senior Commander, Colonel Gregory MCCinton, APG’s Garrison Commander, and Miss Devon Rust, APG’s Energy Manager, led the ceremony and were accompanied by Secretary Ben Grumbles of  the Maryland Department of the Environment, senior leaders from BGE and Johnson Controls, and myself.

Needless to say, a project like this takes a team effort that includes Aberdeen’s Directorate of Public Works Energy, the Huntsville Corps of Engineers, and the Johnson Controls for development and construction of the project under a Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC). By utilizing an ESPC managed by JC, APG can make critical energy infrastructure enhancements by utilizing the utility savings produced by the project to pay the debt service.  This in turn can be a budget neutral solution for APG.

Additionally, the CHP system will be funded in part by a $2.5m grant incentive provided by the BGE Smart Energy Savers CHP Program® that supports the EmPOWER Maryland energy saving goals.

Sponsors

Sponsors

Sponsors

The new CHP system will provide approximately 50% of the Edgewood Area’s electricity requirements. This improves APG’s energy security posture for both electricity and steam and can be quantified by nearly $4.4M in electrical savings. In addition to the energy saving benefits of this technology, APG will see emission reductions of approximately 22,571 tons per year of Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

by: Michael Leslie, MSc, Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency Program Manager at Maryland Energy