Cogeneration

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 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!