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University Medical Center - Case Study
Medical Center Improves Reliability with Natural Gas-Fired Cogeneration Plant. Faced with the need to replace 50-year-old natural gas steam boilers with costly new ones, a major university medical center instead invested in a cogeneration facility that generates nearly all its electricity and creates low-cost steam as a byproduct.
In addition, the $12.5 million facility provides critical power reliability for the 536-bed hospital and surrounding 70-acre medical campus. The plant`s two Taurus™ 60 natural gas turbine generator sets from Solar® Turbines provide 10,000 kW of electricity and can operate stand-alone in the event of a utility power outage. Intermittent power problems were a key reason for the medical center`s decision to invest in onsite power generation.
"We were having some intermittent power problems," says the medical center`s vice president of engineering and facilities. "We need 100 percent reliable power." Hospital codes require uninterrupted electric power. Power reliability is critical in a tertiary care facility such as this one, which has a burn and shock trauma institute, neonatal and perinatal care, and many other vital medical services.
Energy savings a motivator
The opportunity to save on energy costs was also a motivating factor, according to the vice-president of engineering and facilities.