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Resort in sunny Palm Springs with a large pool, which is powered by cogeneration

Cogeneration

Work with the leading Combined Heat
and Power (CHP) company in California

Throughout Regatta Solutions’ history, we have commissioned more Combined Heat and Power (CHP) projects than any other company in California. That’s a bold statement to make, but our results speak for themselves. Regatta Solutions has a 13-year track record for being the #1 company to commission over 60 successful CHP clients and experience with hundreds of successful CHP systems throughout California, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. Cogeneration has a wide range of applications. In one application, Regatta helped a resort in Palm Springs leverage cogeneration to chill the facility, while heating water for pools and hot tubs.

How Does Regatta Help?

Enabling Project Success with a Proven Methodology

  • Energy & Economic Impact Analysis
  • Navigate Permitting for a Smooth Installation
  • Obtain Financing & Take Advantage of Incentives
  • Performance Monitoring & Preventative Maintenance

Energy & Economic Impact Analysis

The Regatta process starts with the basics of analyzing the client’s current energy usage and energy cost through Agave®. Consultation with the client on creating projected models for future energy usage requirements is considered. Sizing of the system is next. Consideration is taken to optimize overall systems efficiency by appropriately using the thermal energy from the gas turbines. Care for structural, environmental, and emission impacts are also taken into account. Innovative value engineering by our in-house staff delivers multiple options for our clients’ evaluation process. Each option focuses on meeting clients’ requirements and driving price performance. Consideration for client cost of capital, tax and depreciation impacts, and potential energy incentives from federal, state, and local agencies are performed in the financial modeling. As a result, the client receives an economic impact analysis of the developed solution.

Navigate Permitting for a Smooth Installation

Once the solution is approved, Regatta works with clients and administrating public agencies on permitting and interconnection approvals. Having a complex microgrid interconnect experience allows Regatta to deliver exceptional value. Clients appreciate this value, especially when utilities interconnect regulations are unclear, leaving interpretation up to the individual inspector. Knowledge and experience go a long way in helping develop a mutual understanding between all involved stakeholders. Whether it be a brewery, OSHPD regulated healthcare installation, food processor, oil and gas and or commercial, industrial manufacture, Regatta’s installation experience results in proven timely project completions without change orders.

Obtain Financing & Take Advantage of Incentives

Regatta’s established financing partners provide the full range of financing options for energy conservation projects. From power purchase agreements that include equity, tax equity, debt, origination, and structuring of grants and incentives and traditional sales leaseback. The Regatta team works closely with the client to ensure that all possible incentives are being utilized.

Performance Monitoring & Preventative Maintenance

After the system is installed, Regatta monitors the performance on a 24/7 basis. It also performs regular operations and preventative maintenance services for the clients that desire a managed care offering. Services include:

  • Periodic site inspection
  • Testing of all installed systems
  • Warranty Service Support
A worker wearing safety gear while using a tablet

Things to Think About When Considering CHP

While our company has performed numerous turnkey projects when requested by our clients, we often supply products and solutions to
the energy developer community for installation by third parties. With all that experience, we’ve learned a few things about successful
projects. Here are some do’s and don’ts for any client looking to embark on a distributed generation journey.

Choose an Experienced Developer

Does your developer have experience delivering successful CHP projects? Installing successful technical projects requires more than just financing experience or knowing how to put a financial model in place. Many energy project developers are focused on selling a concept and severely lack the practical knowledge required to implement projects. Imagine uncovering a high hidden cost very late in the process because the developer was unaware of a requirement or consider that some developers might assemble teams with the right engineering disciplines. Still, nevertheless, these teams have never had the practical experience of engineering, installing, and commissioning a CHP system. In the last thirteen years, having been engaged in project remediation work, the Regatta team has seen some unfathomable things, from improperly sized electrical panels to expensive and unnecessary copper pool water piping. Don’t be a guinea pig for a developer! Make sure your vetting process is rigorous. Visit the developer’s past project sites and validate their customers’ experiences. Don’t make a decision based on a spreadsheet!

Consider the whole solution, not just the Prime Mover

When deciding on a CHP solution, we suggest that instead of focusing on the prime mover, you also consider the components that will make up your system. Additional diligence is required to understand component manufacturers’ value, quality, customer service, warranty, and history of success in CHP systems. The variety of components that make up a CHP solution may include heat exchangers, steam generators, chillers, electrical devices, and of course, the engine or turbine itself. Regatta has seen sites where the prime mover was blamed for performance issues when an ancillary component was failing or improperly sized. The integrity to stand behind a product and admit fault when a failure occurs is of utmost importance, which is why we’ve been high business ethics is a critical criterion in Regatta’s partner relationships. Unfortunately, not all manufacturers operate that way; issues will happen, and you want companies involved who want to be your partner. Having the right partners will help ensure a high degree of reliability once the systems get implemented.

Don’t just blindly trust a big, expensive engineering firm

Experience counts. Just because an engineering firm is a big name doesn’t mean they have experience with cogeneration. Specific CHP project experience is a must. We have often seen well-known national engineering firms make costly mistakes for their clients with more hypothetical designs than practical ones. Often, solutions are over-engineered, significantly impacting project costs. Challenge your engineer to look at multiple technologies out there, not just those they are comfortable with, and seek out manufacturers to provide input and conduct a drawing review before their solutions are presented.

Have you thought about Controls?

Controls of the CHP solution are often an afterthought; they’re selected last and only considered during commissioning. Our recommendation is to make controls one of your first considerations when designing the CHP solution. Proper sequencing and balancing of energy resources can make or break the value derived from your installation. Also, ask, who else could benefit from appropriate data collection? Often, this helps external sources that may require data to conduct an economic validation and measure greenhouse gases.

Who will do the maintenance?

After the project is complete and the developer and general contractor are gone, your only relationship remains with a maintenance organization that will maintain your prime mover and associated equipment. It is also important to adequately consider the maintenance process during design to ensure that the system can be easily maintained throughout its life. Next, what is the value proposition of the maintenance supplier? And how do you know that they have what it takes? We suggest that, at a minimum, you ask about licensed and qualified personnel, parts inventories, history of customer satisfaction, and average fleet uptime. What else have they done or can they do to maximize system uptime? At Regatta, we’ve added controls to our system to allow them to call home and report faults when they occur. We can either make a fix remotely or make sure that the service technician is prepared with the right parts before he even heads to the site for a diagnostic. What will your maintenance provider do when something breaks?

Regatta, Industry Leader

Regatta Solutions is a recognized combined heat, cooling, and power, energy developer. As recently as 2019, Regatta Solution was recognized as a contributor to The California Energy Commission’s Energy Research and Development Division report on “A Comprehensive Assessment of Small Combined Heat and Power Technical and Market Potential in California.” At the time of the writing, 662 MW of CHP systems less than 5 MW currently installed in California; Industrial CHP applications represent 75% of California’s current installed capacity. However, industrial facilities only represent 25% of the 662 MW of installed capacity for CHP applications smaller than 5 MW. Regatta estimates that its project activity over the past 12 years has contributed to 30% of the commercial, industrial install CHP install capacity in California. That’s significant!

Talk to Our Team

Don’t be afraid to investigate CHP as an option for distributed generation. Just make sure you’re as informed as possible about your options and the value your contractor or developer brings to the table. Regatta Solutions can provide you with a quick assessment to evaluate if your enterprise is a candidate for a CHP installation. Schedule a consultation with our team.

Schedule a Consultation

Customer Success Stories

A great team who continually delivers value including the OSHPD certified Cogeneration System. The project was icing on the cake for being recognized as a Malcom Baldridge Award Winner! 7 years later they continue to help us ensure we are getting utility incentives and economic value from our system.

Hospital Administration

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