U.S. EPA Recognizes Caterpillar for Award-Winning CHP Project

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 1, 2014 /3BL Media/ — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today recognized Caterpillar Inc. with its ENERGY STAR Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Award. The company received the honor following the U.S. EPA’s review of Janssen Research & Development’s global research facility in Spring House, Pennsylvania, which houses a highly-efficient CHP system powered by a Caterpillar generator set.

At the heart of the Janssen system is a Caterpillar built 3.8 MW lean-burn, low-emission reciprocating natural gas generator set, which can supply 60 percent of the annual power needed at the site. Heat from the engine exhaust and engine block that would otherwise be wasted is used to produce steam and hot water to supply approximately 40 percent of the thermal energy used to support R&D operations and heat, cool and dehumidify the facility's buildings.

“Caterpillar employees have a passion for not only engineering and building the best products for customers but also for the communities in which they serve,” said Caterpillar Inc. Vice President Steve Niehaus, with responsibility for the Electric Power Division. “In 2013 alone, the EPA estimates our more than 300 CHP operations in the U.S. have helped reduce more than 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions– or the equivalent of taking more than 600,000 vehicles off the road – when compared to conventional energy sources. This award is a testament to Caterpillar’s longstanding commitment to sustainability which is now a core value of the company.”

EPA awards the ENERGY STAR CHP Award to leaders who increase the nation’s electric generation efficiency through the development of highly efficient CHP systems. The award recognizes the importance of CHP as a way to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, while helping businesses become more competitive and profitable. 

CHP, also known as cogeneration, simultaneously produces electricity and useful steam or hot water from a single heat source, using traditional or renewable fuels. By recovering and using heat typically wasted by the conventional production of electricity, CHP gives U.S. manufacturers a competitive edge by minimizing production costs while also reducing carbon pollution.

Established in 2001, EPA's voluntary CHP Partnership program seeks to reduce the environmental impact of power generation by promoting the cost-effective use of CHP. Caterpillar joined the CHP Partnership in 2001 as a Charter Partner. The Partnership works closely with energy users, the CHP industry, state and local governments, and other clean energy stakeholders to facilitate the development of new CHP projects and to promote their environmental and economic benefits.

In addition to the Janssen R&D facility, EPA also presented the ENERGY STAR CHP Award today to Eastman Chemical Company’s Kingsport, Tennessee industrial campus, and Merck’s West Point, Pennsylvania facility.

More on the EPA Combined Heat and Power Partnership: http://epa.gov/chp/

More on the EPA ENERGY STAR Industrial Program: www.energystar.gov/industry

More on the awards: http://epa.gov/partnership/awards.html