G reenhouse G as Technology

Verification N ews NEWSLETTER Issue 5

December 2000

Published by the Greenhouse Gas Technology Verification Center

An Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Organization 

Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s Office of Research and Development 

Center to Verify New High

Efficiency Microturbine CHP 

GHG Reductions as High as 50% May be

Possible

In October, the GHG Center announced plans to verify the

performance of a new high efficiency microturbine combined heat and power (CHP) system in collaboration with

Natural Resources Canada. Mariah Energy Corporation

of Calgary, Alberta designed and installed the system at

Walker Court; a 12 unit commercial live/work facility located in downtown Calgary. The unit will provide most of the

electricity and all of the hot water required by Walker Court.

The unit will also supply space heating, except during

some of the coldest winter months, when a back-up gasfired boiler will be used to supply up to 20 percent of the

space heating required.

The Mariah CHP uses a Capstone MicroTurbineTM for

electricity generation. It also contains additional systems

and modifications to Capstone’s Industrial housing to

enhance sound control, a turbine exhaust heat recovery

unit, and an integrated building energy management system. The system also provides on-site backup power with

fully automated transfer to stand-alone operation in case of

grid failure. (continued on page 6, see CHP)

GHG Center to Host TechnologyFocused Forum in New York 

Hopes to Fill Ongoing Need for Technology Data 

By: Stephen Piccot, GHG Center Director

Having worked in the greenhouse gas emission area

for 15 years, I’ve attended over 100 meetings and

conferences on the subject. Most have focused on

global change policy, climate change science, GHG

emissions, and modeling analyses. Many have

offered "expert" opinions on how industry should

reduce their emissions (e.g., scenario analyses),

while others promote mitigation/sequestration technologies that, in my opinion, are not yet viable.

Although these types of meetings are important, the

GHG Center’s third-party verification activities have

revealed to me that an increasing number of industry

leaders want more specific information on GHG technologies that are available for use now.

If you need to reduce GHG emissions today, want to

meet vendors and users of that technology faceto-face, or simply want to learn more about available

technology options, come join several hundred others

like you at the Commercial GHG Technology

Solutions forum in

New York City

(March 14-15,

2001). If successful, the forum will be

the first in a series

of international

meetings that provide a platform for

industry to learn

and exchange

ideas on commercial GHG mitigation. By attending

now, you can become a part of that effort in the future.

(continued on page 4, see Forum)

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Mariah Energy’s Walker Court Live/Work Facility

COMMERCIAL GREENHOUSE

GAS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
G reenhouse G as Technology Verification N ews

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Center Issues 2 New Verifications for Natural Gas Industry Technologies 

The natural gas industry is the second most significant methane emission source in the US. Significant methane leaks

are known to occur from field gathering, gas transmission, and distribution operations. In the transmission sector,

pipeline operators use large gas-fired engines to provide the mechanical energy needed to drive pipeline gas compressors. Emissions from these compressors, most of which are reciprocating compressors, are significant and occur from several

sources, including blowdown valves, rod packing,

unit isolation valves, pressure relief valves, and

other small fugitive sources. A large source of

these emissions is gas leaks from compressor

rod packing. 

In late September, the Center completed and

published verification results for two technologies

designed to mitigate emissions from rod packing

used on reciprocating compressors. The Static-Pac, offered by C. Lee Cook Division, Dover Resources, Inc.

(Louisville, KY), is a gas leak containment device designed to prevent rod packing leaks from escaping into the atmosphere during pressurized compressor standby periods. A Phase II Verification Report, just issued by the Center, presents the final field verification of Static-Pac gas savings, methane emission reductions, and payback period. Field testing was conducted at an ANR Pipeline transmission station.

In late 1999, A&A Environmental Seals, Inc. (La Marque, TX), offered the Seal Assist System (SAS) for testing at an

Enron operated natural gas compressor station. The SAS is designed to capture methane from leaking compressor

rod seals, and route the captured gas into the compressor engine fuel line for use. The recently issued Phase II

Verification Report presents the final field assessment of SAS gas savings, methane emission reductions, and payback period. 

Verification Reports, Verification Test Plans, and a generic Verification Guideline document for compressor emissions

can be obtained free from the GHG Center or ETV Program Web sites (refer to bottom of page 6 for these Web site

addresses). The generic Verification Guideline document contains field tested verification protocols for determining

GHG reductions and other performance parameters associated with natural gas compressor systems. Both detailed

and simplified verification procedures are presented. 

Policy Corner Policy Corner

COP-6 - Just Work It Out?

The big event since our last issue was the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) held this November in The

Hague. Attended by over 6,000 participants from around the world, this negotiation was widely understood to be a make-it-or-break-it event for the Kyoto Protocol. Challenged to resolve

many basic issues left unaddressed by previous COP negotiations, delegates seemed

stymied and frustrated at the end of the first week, and although the COP president emplored

them to "Work it Out", disagreements and public bickering continued between the European

Union (EU) and the United States, developing and industrial nations, and others with a major

stake in the Kyoto Protocol. By the end of the first week many major issues remained; e.g.,

should carbon sinks and nuclear power be allowed to meet GHG reduction

obligations, to what extent can flexibility mechanisms like the CDM be used to

meet GHG reduction obligations, should developing nations make commitments to ensure their future emissions growth does not undo reductions made

earlier by industrial nations, will developing nations be provided meaningful

financial assistance for adaptation and other actions, and how will Kyoto compliance be dealt with. (continued on page 4, see COP-6)

A&A - Seal Assist System C. Lee Cook - Static-Pac

Frank Loy,

Chief U.S. Negotiator
New Technology Verifications Planned in Refrigeration and Biomass Areas 

KMC Controls (KMC) has agreed to submit the KMC Sight Glass Monitor for independent performance verification.

The Sight Glass Monitor is a new low-cost monitor that is used on commercial- and industrial-scale refrigeration

systems to identify when a system's refrigerant charge is low and, thus, when the system is in need of maintenance and possible repair (including leak repair). This is accomplished using an infrared-based detector that continuously monitors refrigerant properties through an existing refrigerant sight glass. A data logging and interpretation system

developed by KMC can be used as part of the system, or the monitor can be easily interfaced into existing building management systems with data logging capabilities. Since

the monitoring system is automated and potentially sensitive, use of the Sight Glass

Monitor is anticipated to reduce leakage of refrigerant into the atmosphere by detecting

refrigerant loss more quickly than current methods allow. In addition to the environmental benefits, early detection may reduce costs associated with excessive refrigerant

loss, energy usage, and equipment damage. The Sight Glass Monitor will be verified under actual field use conditions during the spring of 2001, and its ability to reduce refrigerant loss relative to existing inspection and maintenance programs will be quantified.

The GHG Center is currently negotiating an agreement with Southern Company to conduct independent performance verification of a Utility-scale Biomass Co-firing System. The system uses switchgrass as a supplemental fuel

to reduce the use of coal, and is comprised of a switchgrass fuel handling and directinjection system, retrofit onto an existing 60 MW coal-fired steam boiler. Current plans

call for the technology to be verified at Alabama Power's Gadsden Electric Generating

Plant located in Gadsden, Alabama. A life-cycle verification approach has been

designed to provide credible data for combustion efficiency changes due to the use of

switchgrass, changes in criteria air pollutant emission rates, and GHG emission reductions due to the production and use of switchgrass. Field testing is scheduled for the

spring of 2001, and results should be available near the end of the year.

G reenhouse G as Technology Verification N ews

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GHG Center and Canada Explore Cooperative

GHG Verification 

The GHG Center, which operates under U.S. EPA's ETV Program, Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN), and the

Canada Center for Mineral and Energy technology (CANMET), have begun to explore the possibility of conducting

joint GHG technology verifications in the future. NRCAN, CANMET, and the Center are working closely on the

Center's verification of a microturbine combined heat and power system (related story on page 1). Stephen Piccot,

GHG Center Director said, "There is strong interest in Mariah's CHP technology in the U.S. and Canada, and it may

benefit the vendor and Stakeholders alike if we work together to ensure verification addresses issues relevant to

both countries. Of course, it also facilitates the transfer of innovative and high performance technology across North

America, and that's good for the environment." 

David Hajesz, from NRCAN's Technology Early Action Measures (TEAM) Program, said "TEAM has sponsored over

75 GHG technology projects and, for us, credible technology verification helps secure private sector acceptance,

particularly when it comes to very new technologies. I like U.S. EPA's ETV model because it offers credible verification along with other important benefits. If Canada and the GHG Center can collaborate effectively on TEAM

sponsored technologies, it will help vendors avoid duplicate verifications in both countries, ensure credible countryspecific performance results are obtained, and allow the best technologies to penetrate a broader market." Rob

Brandon, CHP expert at the CANMET lab in Ottawa said, "We have been evaluating microturbine CHP systems for

several years, and look forward to making use of our expertise on this test, and working with the GHG Center to

share verification expertise and protocols."
G reenhouse G as Technology Verification N ews

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In the end, it proved to be too difficult to just work it out. Under the

disappointed eye of the COP-6 Youth Delegation, and against a

backdrop of charges of intransigence by U.S. and EU negotiators,

COP-6 was suspended. Negotiations broke down over disagreements on the use of carbon sinks to reduce emissions (forest and

agricultural projects), an option championed by U.S. negotiators

but decried as environmentally unsound by some EU members.

Kyoto Protocol enforcement mechanisms, including verification,

and the extent to which market mechanisms should be used, were

two other significant areas where agreement could not be

reached.

In spite of the disappointment, the door was left open to reconvene COP-6 in 2001. "We will not give up," said Frank Loy, chief

negotiator for the U.S. "The stakes are too high, the science too

decisive, and our planet and our children too precious."

Representatives of one Democrat and one Republican U.S. senator in attendance suggested that, regardless of the outcome at

COP-6, the stage now seems set for the U.S. Congress to

address the greenhouse gas issue in ways that account for economic and environmental factors. As this occurs, the GHG Center

will play an increasingly important role as it continues to locate

promising GHG mitigation technologies, subject them to independent performance testing, and report performance results to

the purchasing public.

GHG Technology Verification News will continue to track legislative developments in the U.S. congress, the UN, and

elsewhere, and provide reports here in the Policy Corner.

COP-6 (continued from page 2)

Center Director, Steve Piccot Chats with

U.S. Delegates at the GHG Center’s ETV Booth

in The Hague

Youth Delegation presents Flag and a Message to

COP President, Jan Pronk

Forum (continued from page 1)

As explained by David Hajesz of Canada’s Technology Early

Action Measures (TEAM) program, "The forum is about real people, in the real world, doing real GHG mitigation projects. It's consistent with TEAM’S focus to support the development of clean

technologies we can use now, which is why we are a major cosponsor of the forum. Of course, we hope to showcase new

Canadian GHG technologies developed through the help of

TEAM, and verified by the GHG Center." Robert Stokes, Vice

President of Gas Technology Institute (GTI), an organization

formed by the merger of Gas Research Institute (GRI) and

Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) has indicated, "We are excited

to be co-sponsoring this event. GTI continues to bring new gas

technologies to industry and individuals, and we see this as a good

way to get the word out about the GHG and economic benefits

these technologies bring.” (continued on page 5, , see Forum)

Technology Areas Addressed

Biomass Utilization

Distributed Electrical Power Industry

Electrical Utility Industry

Energy End-Use Efficiency

GHG Emission Monitoring

Microelectronics Industry

Municipal Solid Waste Management

Oil and Gas Industry

Refrigeration Industry

Transportation Industry

Other Areas

GHG Trading and Verification

National GHG Reduction Plans

Company-Specific GHG Reduction Plans
G reenhouse G as Technology Verification N ews

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Forum (continued from page 4)

Other major co-sponsors of the forum include Southern Company,

Consolidated Edison of New York, SUBBOR/Eastern Power of

Toronto, and the U.S. EPA’s Natural Gas STAR Program.

The forum, organized and hosted by the GHG Center, will include

speakers from several countries, representing over 50 different

organizations (see text box). Over half of the speakers will describe

GHG mitigation and monitoring technologies that are available for

use now, while others will offer perspectives on GHG mitigation from

the technology users point of view. Technology applicable to oil and

gas facilities, the electrical power industry, the biomass use industry,

municipal solid waste management industry, and others will be

described and displayed.

Through aggressive promotional efforts, North America will be well

represented, but we have offered special inducements to bring technology vendors and purchasers from western

Europe, eastern Europe, and Asia, broadening opportunities for both vendors and users

alike. Well known technology vendors like

Ballard Power and Honeywell Power

Systems are participating, but vendors

unknown to you will also be there to describe

interesting new developments. Although

technology is the primary focus, expert panel

sessions addressing topics on GHG trading,

monitoring, verification, and certification will also occur.

If you want to know more, or keep track of developments related to

the forum, log onto the GHG Center's Web site and click on the GHG

forum icon (www.sri-rtp.com). Space at the forum is limited, so

register soon.

Speakers

Ballard Generation Systems

British Petroleum (BP)

C. Lee Cook

Canadian Climate Change Secretariat

Canadian Technology Early Action Measures

Program (TEAM)

Center for Environmental and Energy Engineering

Conoco, Inc.

Conoco Canada Limited

Consolidated Edison of New York

DynaMotive Technologies

Ecogas Corporation

EMCON/OWT, a Unit of the IT Group

Energy Products of Idaho

Enron Corporation

Environment Canada

Environmental Financial Products

Environmental Interface, Ltd.

First Environment

Gas Technology Institute

Greenx, Inc.

Highland Energy, Inc.

Honeywell Power Systems Inc.

Industrial Center

IOGEN Corporation

KMC Controls

KPMG London

Laser Imaging Systems

Mariah Energy Corporation

MIRATECH Corporation

Nextex 

NJ Department of Environmental Protection

Ontario Power Generation

Pacific Advanced Technology

Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation

Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)

Southern Company

Stuart Energy

Super Blue Box Recycling Corp. / Eastern Power, Ltd.

Texaco, Inc.

U.S. EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program

U.S. EPA Natural Gas STAR Program

U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development

U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste

Unocal Corporation

Center Moves Location of Honeywell

Microturbine Verification

After working for a year to arrange verification testing of Honeywell's

Parallon® 75 kW Turbogenerator at an Enron gas transmission station in

Florida, the test location was moved and testing is now underway. "There

were unanticipated complications with connecting the turbine to the grid at

Enron's Florida site, and this threatened to further delay testing for an

unspecified amount of time" said Sushma Masemore, microturbine Project

Manager for the GHG Center. 

The new test site is located in the Washington, DC area, where a turbogenerator was recently installed on a commercial building on the campus of the University of Maryland at College Park.

The building is part of a project run by the Center for Environmental and Energy Engineering, which is managed by

the University's Mechanical Engineering Department. The GHG Center, through a consortium of public and private

sector participants (which now includes the GHG Center), is using the building to evaluate high efficiency building

systems and new energy production technologies. A Test and Quality Assurance Plan, prepared specifically for this

verification, is now available on the GHG Center’s Web site.

Microturbine test site in College Park, MD
G reenhouse G as Technology Verification N ews

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Contact the GHG Technology Verification Center by calling Stephen Piccot at Southern Research Institute

(919/806-3456), or David Kirchgessner at the U.S. EPA (919/541-4021). Additional information can be viewed on

the GHG Center Web site at www.sri-rtp.com or the U.S. EPA ETV Program Web site at www.epa.gov/etv

(continued from page 1)

In addition to the building’s innovative energy management system, Walker Court features residential living above commercial

bays, complete with full basements. A concrete shell and slab

floor heating system provide a quiet and energy efficient space for

living and work. 

Mariah's contract with tenants will include delivery of heat and

power, and Mariah will retain all responsibility for operation and

maintenance of the building’s energy systems. Unit owners simply

receive monthly statements indicating the amount of heat and electricity consumed (as they do presently from conventional utilities), as well as an estimate of emissions displaced in the previous month. According to Paul Liddy,

Mariah Energy President, "Mariah's commitment is to maintain prices for both heat and power lower than those experienced by residents in traditional condominiums." 

"I'm really excited about this" says Stephen Piccot, GHG Center Director. "This is one of the most appropriate uses

of microturbine technology, and is the kind of technology innovation the Center was established to verify. We can

only estimate at this point, but Mariah's unit may have a potential energy conversion efficiency of 70 to 80 percent,

and with that, the technology could simultaneously reduce GHGs by 50 percent and still provide building tenants with

high quality energy at a competitive price. That's a big gain with little pain, and it's possible that emissions of some

conventional air pollutants will be reduced to an even greater extent." 

The GHG Center is currently developing a Verification Test Plan, and will be performing measurements later this winter at the site in Calgary. The Center plans to verify the power quality, energy efficiency, air emissions, and GHG

emission reduced at Walker Court. Using verification protocols developed by the Center, and measurements collected at Walker Court, GHG reductions for other potential locations in the US and Canada will also be estimated.

This verification will be conducted in collaboration with several Canadian

governmental agencies (related story on page 3).

Says Paul Liddy, "We have just established an agreement with

Capstone to deliver 126 microturbine units over the next two years. We

are already experiencing a strong interest in our system, and are augmenting our fabrication capabilities to meet what may be a sharp and

growing increase in new installations and retrofits over the next 5 years." 

The GHG Center is also evaluating other microturbine technologies and

is in the process of forming a Stakeholder Technical Panel to focus

specifically on distributed generation (DG) technologies, including the

Mariah CHP verification. The role on the panel would be to actively

assist the Center in planning verification tests, reviewing Verification

Test Plans and Reports, identifying good verification candidates for

future tests, and disseminating the performance results widely. 

CHP

The Mariah CHP at Walker Court

Mariah CHP 

Verification Parameters

Energy Efficiency

Electrical Efficiency

Thermal Efficiency

Total Energy Conversion Efficiency 

Power Quality

Power Factor

Electrical Frequency

Voltage Transients

Voltage and Current THD

Air Emissions

NOx, CO, VOCs, CO2, and CH4 Emission Rates

GHG Emission Reductions

Mariah CHP GHG Emission at Walker Court

Baseline and Model Facility GHG Emissions

(U.S. and Canada)