Co-Generation Plant

개요

Princeton's co-generation plant, which began operating in 1996, provides electricity, steam, and chilled water to power, heat, and cool the buildings on campus. The plant burns primarily natural gas with ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel as a backup to make steam for heating and approximately half of the electricity used on campus. In a typical power plant, exhaust heat made during the electricity generation process escapes in large quantities, leading to an efficiency of only 25 to 45 percent. Princeton's co-generation plant captures this exhaust and then uses it to provide heat to the campus, creating a process that is between 70 and 80 percent efficient. The University is committed to measurable greenhouse gas reduction through local verifiable action and no purchase of offsets. Princeton's goal is to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by year 2020 even while expanding square footage of buildings on campus.

Princeton Green Connections
updated 04/2012 by kwiedemann