You are here:
Environmental Technology Verification Report: Climate Energy freewatt™ Micro-Combined Heat and Power System
Citation:
Hansen, T. Environmental Technology Verification Report: Climate Energy freewatt™ Micro-Combined Heat and Power System. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-13/355, 2012.
Impact/Purpose:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the ETV program is to further environmental protection by accelerating the acceptance and use of improved and cost-effective technologies. ETV seeks to achieve this goal by providing high-quality, peer-reviewed data on technology performance to those involved in the purchase, design, distribution, financing, permitting, and use of environmental technologies.
Description:
The EPA GHG Center collaborated with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to evaluate the performance of the Climate Energy freewatt Micro-Combined Heat and Power System. The system is a reciprocating internal combustion (IC) engine distributed electrical generation and combined heat and power (DG / CHP). Heat is captured from the generator engine and passed to domestic heat loads via a closed heat transfer loop. The freewatt micro combined heat and power (MCHP) system is a nominal 1.2 kW natural gas-fueled engine driven generator from which excess heat is recovered for use on-site. This technology provides 240v single phase electrical power in parallel with the utility supply. The amount of heat recovered from the MCHP and used for water heating at the residence averaged 8.56 MBtu/hr. Corresponding thermal efficiency was 54.4 percent and combined heat and power efficiency averaged 76.0 percent. Boiler heat production, tested separately, averaged 43.7 MBtu/h, or 12.8 kWt. Boiler fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) during these forced control test conditions averaged 96 percent. Boiler NOX emissions averaged 0.047 pounds per million Btu (lb/MMBtu) heat delivered to the residence. CO2 and THC emissions averaged 170 and 0.01 lb/MMBtu.