info@RenewableEnergyInvestments.com

For qualified clients we will design, build, finance, own, operate & maintain a new:

CHP System

Cogeneration

Organic Rankine Cycle

Trigeneration

Waste Heat Recovery

energy system, through a Power Purchase Agreement that guarantees
a minimum 10% reduction in our client's energy expenses.

(NOTE: Engineering and related interim project development expenses may be at client's expense but will be refunded 
at the close of Power Purchase Agreement or other project financing. Some of our engineering and EPC services 
may be provided by one of our Top-ranked ENR Engineering Procurement Construction partner companies.)

To receive a preliminary no-obligation review of your energy, engineering or project plans, 
send an introductory email to us at the following email address:

info@RenewableEnergyInvestments.com

What is Biomethane?

Biomethane is the "renewable natural gas" made from organic sources - which starts out as "biogas" but then is cleaned up in a process called "Biogas to Biomethane" which removes the impurities in biogas such as carbon dioxide, siloxanes and hydrogen sulfides (H2S).

Biomethane is soon to be re-classified from the category of "Low Carbon Fuels" to "Super Low Carbon Fuel" due to it being recognized as the greenest of all biofuels!

"Cleaned-up" and ready for use in an onsite cogeneration or trigeneration power plant, the Biomethane could also be sold to a pipeline company and completely replace the "natural gas" that is typically transported to markets via the vast underground pipeline system.

Biomethane will some day replace the "methane" that is sold by natural gas utility companies.

Biomethane has an unlimited supply, whereas the methane sold by gas companies has a limited supply.  Biomethane is renewable, whereas the methane sold by your gas utility company is not renewable. Biomethane and biogas recovery, use and production generates "Greentags" or a "Renewable Energy Credit" for the owners and is GOOD for our environment.

Biomethane is "naturally" produced from organic materials as they decay.  Sources of Biomethane include; landfills, POTW's/Wastewaster Treatment Systems, and every tree or agricultural product that is no longer living.  Biomethane is also generated from animal operations where manure can be collected and the Biomethane is generated from anaerobic digesters where the manure decomposes.

Biomethane, after installation of the Biomethane equipment is essentially free, as opposed to buying natural gas, presently costing around $10.00/mmbtu. 

Methanogenesis is the production of CH4 and CO2 by biological processes that are carried out by methanogens.

Unlike the price of natural gas, which has been very unstable, and wildly fluctuating from $5.50 to as much as $17.00/mmbtu this past year, Biomethane prices will tend to be more stable over the years. As more and more Biomethane is produced, and produced in reliable and sustainable methods that can fuel our energy needs now and for.

What is "Cogeneration"?

Did you know that 10% of our nation's electricity now comes from "cogeneration" plants?

And because cogeneration is so efficient, it saves its customers up to 40% on their energy expenses, and provides even greater savings to our environment through significant reductions in fuel usage and much lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Cogeneration - also known as “combined heat and power” (CHP), cogen, district energy, total energy, and combined cycle, is the simultaneous production of heat (usually in the form of hot water and/or steam) and power, utilizing one primary fuel such as natural gas, or a renewable fuel, such as Biomethane, B100 Biodiesel, or Synthesis Gas.

Cogeneration technology is not the latest industry buzz-word being touted as the solution to our nation's energy woes. Cogeneration is a proven technology that has been around for over 120 years!

Our nation's first commercial power plant was a cogeneration plant that was designed and built by Thomas Edison in 1882 in New York. Our nation's first commercial power plant was called the "Pearl Street Station."

What is "Net Zero Energy?"

Net Zero Energy - when applied to a home or commercial building, simply means that they generate as much power and energy as they consume, when measured on an annual basis.

The U.S. Army now has a Net Zero Energy initiative to help reduce/eliminate America's use of foreign oil  - particularly oil from muslim/middle-east countries - which saves the lives of our brave soldiers in the military.

Why "Net Zero Energy Matters

Americans spend more than $400 billion every year for electricity and natural gas for our homes and commercial buildings, consuming more than 70% of all the  electricity used in the United States, which is about 40% of our nation's total energy bill. This also contributes almost 40% of the nation's carbon dioxide emissions.

By standardizing on Net Zero Energy and upgrading existing commercial buildings to Net Zero Energy, the USA increases energy efficiency and reduces the purchases of energy from all sources, both foreign and domestic.

Net Zero Energy Protects your Financial Health

The average family spends $2,200 each year on the power and energy needed for their homes. A Net Zero Energy home can reduce this amount by 80% to 100%.

Net Zero Energy Protects your Health and the Environment

Did you know that buildings (homes and commercial buildings) are responsible for: 

• almost 40% of the our country's greenhouse gas emissions 

• 18% of the nitrogen oxides (emissions) 

• 55% of the sulfur dioxide emissions. 

These harmful emissions are generated from the combustion of fossil fuels, which cause acid rain, haze, smog and cause breathing/respiratory problems for thousands of people. By increasing the energy efficiency of our country's homes and commercial buildings, we reduce these harmful emissions while reducing our monthly utility and transportation expenses. Imagine, never again receiving a monthly bill from your electric power or natural gas utility company!  Having a Net Zero Energy home or business can do that, or provide the option to "cut the cord" to the electric company in the future. 

Every new Net Zero Energy home or commercial building helps our country reduce (energy-related) greenhouse gas emissions. There is a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels of 17% by 2020.

Net Zero Energy Protects America's Economy and Leads to Energy Independence

The USA is still dependent on foreign oil.  Each day, the USA shifts the wealth of Americans, to foreign countries and foreign jobs.  With oil at $100/bbl, Americans send about $1.3 billion for the foreign oil we buy which adds up to almost $1/2 trillion every year. And that's also costing America thousands of jobs. Net Zero Energy will help America become energy independent, create thousands of jobs in the USA and reduce our dependence on foreign oil from insecure sources and from countries that do not agree with our country's leadership or policies.

Building (and upgrading) homes and commercial buildings to Net Zero Energy with less reduces the problems relating to an old, inefficient electric power grid. Increased Net Zero Energy homes and commercial buildings also saves the need for building new central power plants running on fossil fuels, that are still highly inefficient at no more than 50% efficient. 

What is "Trigeneration"?

Trigeneration is the simultaneous production of three forms of energy - typically, Cooling, Heating and Power - from only one fuel input. Put another way, our trigeneration power plants produce three different types of energy for the price of one.

Trigeneration energy systems can reach overall system efficiencies of 86% to 93%.  Typical "central" power plants, that do not need the heat generated from the combustion and power generation process, are only about 33% efficient.

Trigeneration Diagram & Description
Trigeneration Power Plants' Have the Highest System Efficiencies and are 
About 300 % More Efficient than Typical Central Power Plants

Trigeneration plants are installed at locations that can benefit from all three forms of energy.  These types of installations that install trigeneration energy systems are called "onsite power generation" also referred to as "decentralized energy."   

One of our company's principal's first experience with the design and development of a trigeneration power plant was the trigeneration power plant installation at Rice University in 1987 where our trigeneration development team started out by conducting a "cogeneration" feasibility study.  The EPC contractor that Rice University selected installed the trigeneration power which included a 4.0 MW Ruston gas turbine power plant, along with waste heat recovery boilers and Absorption Chillers.  A "waste heat recovery boiler" captures the heat from the exhaust of the gas turbine.  From there, the recovered energy was converted to chilled water - originally from (3) Hitachi Absorption Chillers - 2 were rated at 1,000 tons each, and the third Hitachi Absorption Chiller was rated at 1,500 tons. The Hitachi Absorption Chillers were replaced shortly after their installation by the EPC company.  The first trigeneration plant at Rice University was so successful, they added a second 5.0 MW trigeneration plant so today, Rice University is now generating about 9.0 MW of electricity, and also producing the cooling and heating the university needs from the trigeneration plant and circulating the trigeneration energy around its campus.

Trigeneration Chart
Trigeneration's "Super-Efficiency" compared 
with other competing technologies
As you can see, there is No Competition for Trigeneration!

Our trigeneration power plants are the ideal onsite power and energy solution for customers that include:  Data Centers, Hospitals, Universities, Airports, Central Plants, Colleges & Universities, Dairies, Server Farms, District Heating & Cooling Plants, Food Processing Plants, Golf/Country Clubs, Government Buildings, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Manufacturing Plants, Nursing Homes, Office Buildings / Campuses, Radio Stations, Refrigerated Warehouses, Resorts, Restaurants, Schools, Server Farms, Shopping Centers, Supermarkets, Television Stations, Theatres and Military Bases.

At about 86% to 93% net system efficiency, our trigeneration power plants are about 300% more efficient at providing energy than your current electric utility. That's because the typical electric utility's power plants are only about 33% efficient - they waste 2/3 of the fuel in generating electricity in the enormous amount of waste heat energy that they exhaust through their smokestacks.

Trigeneration is defined as the simultaneous production of three energies: Cooling, Heating and Power.  Our trigeneration  energy systems use the same amount of fuel in producing three energies that would normally only produce just one type of energy. This means our customers that have our trigeneration power plants have significantly lower energy expenses, and a lower carbon footprint.

Waste Heat Recovery in Cogeneration and 
Trigeneration power and energy systems

In most cogeneration and trigeneration power and energy systems, the exhaust gas from the electric generation equipment is ducted to a heat exchanger to recover the thermal energy in the gas. These heat exchangers are air-to-water heat exchangers, where the exhaust gas flows over some form of tube and fin heat exchange surface and the heat from the exhaust gas is transferred to make hot water or steam. The hot water or steam is then used to provide hot water or steam heating and/or to operate thermally activated equipment, such as an absorption chiller for cooling or a desiccant dehumidifer for dehumidification.

Many of the waste heat recovery technologies used in building cogeneration and trigeneration systems require hot water, some at moderate pressures of 15 to 150 psig. In the cases where additional steam or pressurized hot water is needed, it may be necessary to provide supplemental heat to the exhaust gas with a duct burner.

In some applications air-to-air heat exchangers can be used. In other instances, if the emissions from the generation equipment are low enough, such as is with many of the microturbine technologies, the hot exhaust gases can be mixed with make-up air and vented directly into the heating system for building heating.

In the majority of installations, a flapper damper or "diverter" is employed to vary flow across the heat transfer surfaces of the heat exchanger to maintain a specific design temperature of the hot water or steam generation rate.

Typical Waste Heat Recovery Installation

In some cogeneration and trigeneration designs, the exhaust gases can be used to activate a thermal wheel or a desiccant dehumidifier. Thermal wheels use the exhaust gas to heat a wheel with a medium that absorbs the heat and then transfers the heat when the wheel is rotated into the incoming airflow.

A professional engineer should be involved in designing and sizing of the Waste Heat Recovery section. For a proper and economical operation, the design of the heat recovery section involves consideration of many related factors, such as the thermal capacity of the exhaust gases, the exhaust flow rate, the sizing and type of heat exchanger, and the desired parameters over a various range of operating conditions of the cogeneration or trigeneration system — all of which need to be considered for proper and economical operation.

The Market and Potential for Waste Heat Recovery technologies and solutions

There are more than 500,000 smokestacks in the U.S. that are "wasting" heat, an untapped resource that can be converted to energy with Waste Heat Recovery technologies.

About 10% of these 500,000 smokestacks represent about 75% of the available wasted heat which has a stack gas exit temperature above 500 degrees F. which could generate approximately 50,000 megawatts of electricity annually and an annual market of over $75 billion in gross revenues before tax incentives and greenhouse gas emissions credits.

Waste Heat Recovery technologies represent the least cost solution which provides the greatest return on investment, than any other possible green energy technology or "carbon free energy" opportunity!

What is "Decentralized Energy"?

Decentralized Energy is the opposite of "centralized energy."  

Decentralized Energy energy generates the power and energy that a residential, commercial or industrial customer needs, onsite. Examples of decentralized energy production are natural gas fueled CHP Systems, Rooftop PV and solar cogeneration energy systems.

Today's electric utility industry was "born" in the 1930's, when fossil fuel prices were cheap, and the cost of wheeling the electricity via transmission power lines, was also cheap.  "Central" power plants could be located hundreds of miles from the load centers, or cities, where the electricity was needed. These extreme inefficiencies and cheap fossil fuel prices have added a considerable economic and environmental burden to the consumers and the planet.

Centralized energy is found in the form of electric utility companies that generate power from "central" power plants. Central power plants are highly inefficient, averaging only 33% net system efficiency.  This means that the power coming to your home or business - including the line losses and transmission inefficiencies of moving the power - has lost 75% to as much as 80% energy it started with at the "central" power plant.  These losses and inefficiencies translate into significantly increased energy expenses by the residential and commercial consumers.

Decentralized Energy is the Best Way to Generate Clean and Green Energy! 

The electric grid of the 21st century (see slide below) will be Decentralized, Smart, Efficient and provide "carbon free energy" and "pollution free power” to customers who remain on the electric grid.  Some customers will choose to dis-connect from the grid entirely.  (Electric grid represented by the small light blue circles in the slide below.)

Typical "central" power plants and the electric utility companies that own them will either be shut-down, closed or go out of business due to one or more of the following:  failed business model, inordinate expenses related to central power plants that are inefficient, excessive pollution/emissions, high costs, continued reliance on the use of fossil fuels to generate energy, and the failure to provide efficient, carbon free energy and pollution free power. 

 Carbon free energy and pollution free power can also reduce our dependence on foreign oil while making us "energy independent" and reducing or eliminating Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

* Some of the above information from the Department of Energy website with permission.