When Edmonton International Airport (EIA) was looking at an energy-efficient option for electrical power generation, they decided on a combined heat and power (CHP) solution. This would not only provide them with the electricity they needed but capture the waste heat from the engines to heat EIA terminal.

The CHP application is perfect for an airport which operates 24/7 and it is also incredibly efficient. According to Chris Schurmans, Project Development Manager for Finning who worked with EIA on their customized power generation system, “Because we are capturing the heat from the generation of electricity and using that heat, we are gaining up to 45% generator efficiency and close to 40% thermal efficiency.  Having a solution like this, offsets the need for water boiler use on site which reduces natural gas consumption while at the same time reduces reliance on Utility Power Generation such as coal power plants.

Not only is the CHP system at EIA incredibly efficient, this new natural gas cogeneration system reduces both emissions and costs.

Cogen utilizes both the electricity and the waste heat that is generated. It is designed to provide a baseload of power and heat, therefore, it doesn’t supply all of the heat and power required for EIA terminal building, but it does provide the baseload and is very economical from an energy and cost perspective. Roger Steele, Manager of Technical & Utilities for EIA is pleased with the results, “We’re getting the green benefits, we’re getting the redundancy and resiliency, and we’re also getting the utility savings.  The net is almost $1M per year. That is really going to help with the payback of these units.”

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