August 2001 

Greenhouse Gas Technology News 

NEWSLETTER Issue 6 

Published by the Greenhouse Gas Technology Center 

An Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Organization 


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


Two Microturbine Systems Verified 

Large- and medium-scale gas fired turbines have been used 

to generate electricity since the 1950s, but recent developments have enabled the introduction of much smaller turbines or microturbines, which produce about 30 to 200 kW of 

power. Microturbines are one of a new breed of technologies 

developed to serve the growing distributed electricity generation (DG) industry. DG technologies generally include power 

generation or storage equipment in the 5 to 1000 kW range, 

and provide electricity at a point closer to customers than central generation stations. According to the U.S. Department of 

Energy, DG could satisfy a significant fraction of new electricity demand. In some cases, DG can also significantly reduce 

emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. 

The Parallon® 75 kW Turbogenerator, offered by 

Honeywell Power Systems, Inc., is one of several new 

compact natural gas-fired microturbines. It is designed to 

produce 75 kW of 3-phase electricity at voltages ranging 

from 208 to 600 volts alternating current (VAC) (with 

optional transformers). Performance verification of the 

Parallon 75 was just completed by the GHG Center on a 

unit that was installed at a 55,000 ft2 office building to 

reduce grid electricity consumption. The building, 

(continued on page 2, see Microturbines ) 

Honeywell Parallon® 75 kW Turbogenerator Test Site 

in College Park, MD 

EPA Expresses Renewed Support 

for the GHG Center 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of 

Research and Development operates the Environmental 

Technology Verification (ETV) program to further environmental protection by accelerating the acceptance of improved environmental technologies. Since 1997, the Greenhouse Gas 

Technology Center (GHG Center) has been one of 12 verification organizations operating as a pilot under ETV, and is the 

only known organization doing performance testing exclusively on GHG technologies. The GHG Center, managed by 

Southern Research Institute (SRI), locates promising GHG mitigation and monitoring technologies, subjects them to independent third-party testing, and provides performance data to 

the public free of charge. 

The pilot period of the ETV program is nearing completion, and 

EPA has selected 6 pilots to continue as permanent Verification 

Centers. "We are thankful EPA decided to continue operation 

of the GHG Center," said Steve Piccot, GHG Center Director 

for SRI, "and we plan to build on the Center's sound reputation 

and technical contributions." Sixteen technology verifications 

have been completed or are in 

process and, according to Piccot, 

"We expect to continue verifying 

technologies of interest to purchasers in our most successful 

areas, like natural gas production 

and distribution, municipal solid 

waste disposal, and distributed 

electrical power generation. We New GHG Center Logo also hope to become more established in new areas like refrigeration equipment, GHG monitoring, residential energy use, or other areas of interest to the 

GHG technology community." SRI has proposed an operational and strategic plan for the next 5 years, and is establishing a new Cooperative Agreement with EPA to operate the 

GHG Center through 2006. 

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Greenhouse Gas Technology News 

Microturbines 

(continued from page 1) 

which serves as a test bed for the Building Combined Heat and Power 

(BCHP) program, is located on the campus of The University of Maryland, 

College Park, and is operated by the University's Center for Environmental 

Energy Engineering. Testing was conducted from December 2000 to April 

2001, during which time the unit was synchronized with the electric grid, and 

provided 30 percent of the building's electricity requirement. Power performance, operational performance, and emissions performance were verified by the GHG Center. The results showed that in comparison to obtaining electricity from the local grid in Maryland, emissions of CO2 and NOX 

were significantly lower with the Parallon 75 microturbine. 

Parameters Verified For The Mariah Heat PlusPower

TM System	 Microturbines coupled with exhaust heat recovery systems for 

cogeneration represent a relatively new, and high-interest DG Power and Heat Production Performance 

• Electrical power output and heat recovery rate at selected loads technology, so independent performance data for these sys­

• Electrical, thermal, and total system efficiency at selected loads tems are limited and in great demand. The GHG Center just • Total electrical energy generated and used	 completed verification of the Heat PlusPowerTM System, • Total thermal energy recovered 

offered by Mariah Energy Corporation of Calgary, Alberta, 

Power Quality Performance	 Canada. The system uses a Capstone MicroTurbine® for • Electrical frequency electricity generation. It also includes a waste heat recovery • Voltage output and voltage transients 

• Voltage and current total harmonic distortion	 unit and building energy management system that recovers • Power factor thermal energy from the microturbine exhaust and produces 

Emissions Performance domestic hot water and comfort heating for the facility. 

• NOx concentration and emission rates at various loads Between April and May 2001, verification testing was con­ • CO concentration and emission rates at various loads ducted on a 30 kW Heat PlusPower system installed in the • VOC concentration and emission rates at various loads 

• CO2 and CH4 concentration and emission rates at various loads mechanical room of a new 12-unit work/live facility (Walker 

• Estimated GHG emission reductions tested for Mariah installation Court) in Calgary. The unit was designed to supply all of the • Estimated GHG emission reductions for model sites needed electricity, and about 80 percent of the hot water and 

space heating required at Walker Court. Power performance, 

operational performance, and emissions performance were verified using a peer reviewed verification strategy, but 

additional measurements determined the increase in efficiency associated with waste heat recovery (see list of parameters verified). Compared to the local grid in Alberta, the GHG Center found that emissions of CO2 and NOX were significantly lower for the Heat PlusPower, and that overall energy efficiency increased by a factor of almost three when 

heat recovery was used. Verification Reports for the Mariah Heat PlusPowerTM System, and the Honeywell Parallon® 

75 kW Turbogenerator are expected to be on the GHG Center's Web site by August or September 2001. 

Policy Corner Policy Corner

Mariah Heat PlusPowerTM System Test Site 

in Calgary, Alberta, Canada 

Eastern States and 

Provinces Developing 

Climate Change 

Action Plan 

In July 2000, the Conference of New England 

Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers adopted a 

resolution on global warming. At that time, they 

resolved that global warming was a joint concern for 

which a regional approach to strategic action is 

required. The Conference directed the Committee on 

the Environment and the Northeast International (continued on page 6, see Policy-Climate) 

GHG Policy in the U.S. 

Changes Rapidly 

And it's not over yet... 

In early 2001, the U.S. announced plans to back away 

from the Kyoto Protocol and propose an alternative 

approach to address the climate change issue. The 

announcement surprised and angered many, encouraged some, and disappointed those with years invested in negotiating the Kyoto Protocol. The announcement caught many off guard, but since then, the pace 

at which climate change and energy policy have taken 

(continued on page 6, see Policy-Changes) 

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Greenhouse Gas Technology News 

Users & Vendors of Commercial Greenhouse Gas Technologies 

Meet in NYC 

On March 14-15, 2001, the GHG Center hosted an international 

forum, Commercial Greenhouse Gas Technology Solutions, in 

New York City, NY. The forum provided an open and unbiased 

venue for public debate and information exchange on a range of 

commercial-ready GHG technologies. Industry, government, and 

consulting organizations with active GHG mitigation programs 

showcased their skills, accomplishments, and future plans, while 

vendors of commercial and near-commercial GHG mitigation and 

monitoring technologies described and displayed their products. 

Updates were also provided on legislative actions and GHG trading, verification, and reporting initiatives. 

About 150 attendees from 11 nations participated in the 2-day 

event. Attendees were from a wide range of different organizations, and represented many different industry and technology interests (see pie chart). A significant delegation of 

Canadian technical and policy experts attended the meeting, and the Government of Canada, as represented by 

Natural Resources Canada, was the forum's largest cosponsoring organization. Eleven additional cosponsoring 

organizations provided financial support to the forum. 

These include Consolidated Edison of New York, 

Southern Company, Gas Technology Institute, Super 

Blue Box Recycling Corp., First Environment, the State 

Agency of Energy and Energy Resources - Bulgaria, The 

EcoSmart Concrete Project, U.S. EPA Natural Gas STAR 

Program, Mariah Energy Corp., The IT Group, and the 

Industrial Center. U.S. EPA's ETV Program provided 

most of the financial, planning, and organizational support for the forum. 

on efforts to mitigate GHG emissions by governments, 

private industry, and international bodies. The second 

included an international panel of experts on GHG trading, reporting, verification, and certification. Technology 

areas addressed included distributed electrical power 

generation (e.g., fuel cells and microturbines), oil and 

gas production and distribution, energy efficiency, 

municipal and other waste management, semiconductors, combined heat and power, transportation, horticulture, commercial buildings, construction, small-scale 

biomass, refrigeration, and large-scale electricity generation. The forum closed with an open session for all 

delegates, at which attendees' voting results for the 

most promising technologies were revealed (see listing on page 6). This input will be used to direct the GHG 

Center's focus during the next five years. Following the forum, the GHG Center launched new performance verifications for several technologies of interest to participants, and companies made important business connections 

that will likely result in GHG technology demonstrations and new business collaborations. 

(continued on page 6, see Forum) 

3 

Opening Remarks from the Forum’s Chairman, 

Stephen Piccot 

Two Plenary sessions were held, with the first focusing 

Plenary Session 
Greenhouse Gas Technology News 

Typical Natural Gas Transmission Station 

in the U.S. 

Gas Transmission Station Installs Microturbine CHP 

The GHG Center and TransCanada PipeLines Limited have agreed to conduct independent performance verification of the Integrated Microturbine Combined Heat and Power System (Microturbine CHP). The Microturbine CHP, 

recently installed at a natural gas transmission station, comprises 

three integrated Honeywell Power Systems' microturbines and two 

separate heat recovery units. It will be verified at one of 

TransCanada's natural gas transmission stations in Alberta, Canada. 

TransCanada hopes to use this installation as a springboard to guide 

future potential CHP installations at other TransCanada facilities. 

With the exception of the coldest months of winter, current plans call 

for all electrical power and heat requirements at the station to be met 

by the Microturbine CHP, which is being assembled, integrated, and 

skid mounted with the help of Mercury Electric. 

The verification will provide credible data for the following performance characteristics: power and heat production performance, power 

quality performance, and GHG and conventional air pollutant emission 

performance. These performance characteristics will be determined 

by the GHG Center, using recognized field measurement and data analysis procedures, and quality assurance oversight from U.S. EPA's Quality Assurance Team. Verification testing is scheduled to occur in the fall of 2001, over a 

4 to 6 week period. "A verification strategy, similar to that used on the Mariah Energy microturbine CHP, is planned 

for use here," says Sushma Masemore, Verification Manager for the GHG Center. "Of course some improvements 

will be made, and there are differences to consider; this is an industrial site with a comparatively stable energy 

demand, the electrical and heat outputs will be many times higher, and integration of the turbines, heat exchangers, electrical systems, and existing plant systems will be complex." 

Using measured GHG emission rates and energy efficiencies, baseline heating system data, and Alberta Power 

Pool data obtained and validated by the KEFI Exchange, GHG and NOX emissions and emission reductions will be 

estimated. 

Vendor Describes Experience with ETV 

“ETV opened doors we didn’t anticipate it would” 

The Heat PlusPowerTM system, offered by Mariah Energy Corporation of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a microturbine cogeneration system capable of supplying heat and electricity at small and medium sized commercial buildings. At the heart of the system is (1) the U.S.-based Capstone MicroTurbine®, which produces electricity from a 

gas-fired turbine generator, and (2) the waste heat recovery unit and energy management system integrated into 

the Capstone turbine by Mariah. The Greenhouse Gas Technology Center recently verified a 30 kW Heat PlusPower 

system (see related story), that was installed in the mechanical room of a new 12-unit work/live facility. 

"We've worked hard to develop an efficient and affordable system", said Paul Liddy, President and CEO of Mariah 

Energy, "and we knew ETV verification could show the system's strong technical capabilities and environmental 

benefits". The GHG Center found that use of the Heat PlusPower system significantly reduced emissions of CO2 

and NOX, and that energy efficiency is high, about 3 times higher than use of a microturbine without heat recovery. 

Liddy explains, "People are skeptical of new technology, which is why Mariah needed believable third-party verification. It may be years before we know the impact ETV has on our sales, but it's already an important factor in discussions we're having with new customers. ETV opened doors we didn't anticipate it would, for example, new partnering organizations are using ETV data to make decisions on investing in our technology. Also, new opportunities 

to conduct field demonstrations have occurred, and we've been invited to testify at a Senate hearing on clean, high 

performance energy technology." 

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Greenhouse Gas Technology News 

ANNOUNCEMENT! 

Greenhouse Gas Technology Center 

A U.S. EPA Sponsored Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Organization 

The GHG Center intends to conduct independent 

field performance verification of combined heat 

and power and other distributed generation technologies. 

Performance characteristics to be verified include: 

Electrical power quality 

Thermal and electrical energy efficiency 

Criteria pollutant emissions 

GHG emissions and emissions reductions 

The GHG Center has just completed verifications of Honeywell, 

Capstone, and other DG technologies. Participating organizations are 

required to share in the cost of testing (50%). Interested vendors 

should contact the GHG Center before September 15, 2001, and submit an Application for Testing. 

lrothschild@sri-rtp.com 

Telephone: 919/806-3456 

www.sri-rtp.com 

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Greenhouse Gas Technology News 

Forum 

(continued from page 3) Policy-Climate 

(continued from page 2) 

"This fulfilled a key goal I had for the forum”, 

said Steve Piccot, Conference Chair, "and 

bolsters our intuition that the GHG technology industry needs an unbiased platform 

where technical people can learn and 

exchange ideas on commercial GHG technologies." 

Additional information on the forum can be 

found on the GHG Center's Web site 

(www.sri-rtp.com). 

High Interest 


GHG Technologies (Ranked)


Identified by Forum Participants 


Committee on energy (NICE) to work toward drafting an Action 

Plan which identifies steps to address those aspects of global warming that are within the region’s control to influence. 

Although the plan is still under development, it could ultimately include the coordinated establishment of GHG reduction 

goals and energy technology utilization strategies for the 

region. It could also include plans for adaptation of economic 

and physical infrastructures, and specifications for a coordinated public education and outreach effort. The GHG Center was 

asked to provide technology input into the process, particularly in the area of energy production, and did so during the first 

face-to-face meeting of the Committee on the Environment and 

NICE, held this June in Boston. The GHG Center will stay 

involved in the process, and ultimately could provide independent, third-party verification of technologies that have specific applicability to the Action Plan and this region of North 

America. 

· Distributed Electrical Generation 

· Cogeneration 

· Energy Conservation/Efficiency 

Policy-Changes 

(continued from page 2) 

· GHG and Other Monitoring 

· CO2 Sequestration/Capture 

· Transportation 

· Waste Management 

· Oil and Natural Gas Processing 

· Fuel Substitution (including Biomass) 

· Buildings 

· Large Industrial/Commercial Engines 

Delegates and Exhibitors Talk during 

an Evening Reception 

center stage in Washington seems to have been equally unexpected. 

In June, the White House was reported to be considering a 

proposal, developed by Jae Edmonds of the U.S. Department 

of Energy’s Pacific Northwest Laboratory, which could lead to 

the elimination of "new" carbon dioxide emissions by 2025. 

The approach was favored because of its reliance on technology improvements, rather than hard and sometimes arbitrary 

caps. This is one of several options under active discussion by 

a special White House Task Force. 

These policy discussions occurred against the backdrop of 

rapid and significant new developments. A new National 

Academy of Sciences study just released blames recent climate change on industrial and other human activities. The 

study, commissioned by the Bush Administration, supports the 

findings of recent IPCC Assessments, which to some in 

Washington and industry, have been viewed with a jaundiced 

eye. Also, the recent U.S. Senate majority shift, and subsequent turnover of the powerful Senate Environment and Public 

Works committee, will likely influence the discussions. Finally, 

at press time, Kyoto Protocol negotiators announced agreement had been reached in Bonn, in spite of the U.S. withdrawal, further complicating Bush administration policy efforts and 

again throwing into question what U.S. GHG policy may be. 

Contact the Greenhouse Gas Technology 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 Web site at www.epa.gov/etv. 

6