NEW YORK—Greenwood Energy, the North American renewable energy division of the Libra Group, announced the installation of a 500-kilowatt (kW) combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the Millennium Hilton Hotel in Lower Manhattan. This is the first CHP plant Greenwood has developed for Millennium Hotel and Resorts in New York City, and Greenwood is currently developing an additional plant at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in Times Square. These projects will represent a total installed CHP capacity of 1,250 kW when completed.
The Millennium Hilton CHP plant features two highly efficient 250kW natural gas-fired cogeneration units to provide baseload electricity, hot water, and chilled water for the hotel’s 569 guestrooms and suites. This system is projected to lower energy costs while increasing power reliability for the hotel compared to standard grid service. In addition, the system is expected to reduce carbon emissions by over 2,000 tons per year, or the equivalent of removing over 360 cars from the road.
“We are proud to kick off our partnership with Millennium Hotels with the first CHP installation at the Millennium Hilton,” said Camilo Patrignani, CEO of Greenwood Energy. “This project is another step forward in Greenwood’s mission to deploy distributed generation assets across North America, and embodies the growing trend of hotels reducing power costs and increasing sustainability to provide green lodging options through clean energy.”
NYSERDA Incentives Helped Project
Greenwood’s turnkey approach combined site analysis, technical evaluation, project design and financing to develop the system with no upfront capital expenditures for Millennium. Incentives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) also helped bring the project from concept to reality.
The New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation (NYCEEC) is providing debt financing to Greenwood Energy for both CHP projects. NYCEEC is an independent, nonprofit financial corporation established to facilitate energy efficiency, distributed generation, and other greenhouse gas reduction projects.
“The Millennium Hilton is a prime example of how innovations in clean energy financing can help transform the building stock in New York City,” said Susan Leeds, NYCEEC CEO. “I’m proud of NYCEEC’s role and encourage other project developers to inquire about our financing tools today.”
In addition to the Millennium CHP projects, Greenwood has installed a 1,400 kW natural gas fuel cell power plant at Central Connecticut State University, is a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Combined Heat and Power Partnership, and is actively developing, building and financing solar projects throughout the United States. Greenwood Energy’s CHP projects were certified by the EPA to avoid 6,130 metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the annual electricity use of 534 homes.
Go to Greenwood Energy.
