Development
Co-Generation
Endurant's on-site generation development is currently focused on Co-Generation, particularly in commercial office properties in the New York area. Co-Generation, or Combined Heat & Power, can be defined as "the simultaneous production of two useful forms of energy from one source" (CEO Tom Smith's favorite refrain...). In typical commercial, residential or industrial applications, this generally means producing electricity and recovering thermal energy from natural gas-fired reciprocating engines, microturbines or fuel cells.
No matter what the technology, a Co-Gen system derives its overall efficiency from the useful application of heat recovered from the electric generation process. Recovered thermal energy is used to produce steam and hot water to feed a property's steam system or hot water heating loops and, depending on the season, any steam turbine chillers. (For properties relying on electric chilling, it often makes sense to incorporate an absorption chiller, which can produce chilled water from steam or hot water to offset expensive electricity used for chilling.) During on-peak periods in congested electricity markets like New York, a Co-Gen system can supply electricity alone at efficiencies and costs comparable to utility-scale power generators...the recovered thermal energy thus represents a free, valuable and otherwise wasted asset.
In addition to The Endurant Advantage, several aspects of the Endurant Co-Gen development process set us apart - and in some cases give us a virtually insurmountable lead over other commercial Co-Gen developers:
- Every Endurant Co-Gen application is custom tailored to the property it will serve, from site inspection to feasibility to design and engineering through construction and operation
- No manufacturer or technology bias: Endurant owes no allegiance and bears no bias to any particular generation technology or manufacturer - the only rule in the Endurant Development process is optimized system cost, size and reliability
- Strong strategic relationships with leading real estate, utility, state agency and prominent energy industry partners
- Proprietary Co-Gen analysis tools and models, designed for market-specific tariff structures, tax scenarios and incentive programs and customizable to each new property we assess
- Proven fault protection technology and success winning interconnection and permitting approvals for synchronous Co-Gen systems (which allow black-start back up capability, unlike induction systems) in the most rigorous of territories, Con Edison's midtown Manhattan
- An energy efficiency solution that can achieve local, state and federal carbon mitigation goals (-10% < CO2 < -25%) in one fell swoop; large buildings, particularly office towers in urban settings, are wasting energy by not deploying Co-Gen
- Access to project finance partners for competitive development capital