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WHAT IS COMBINED HEAT AND POWER?
Combined Heat and Power (CHP), also known as Cogeneration, is the simultaneous production of electricity and thermal energy. The thermal energy is used to make high temperature hot water or steam which provides heating (or cooling) for buildings connected to the CHP Boiler plant. The electricity generated is used to provide primary and backup electrical power for buildings connected to the CHP Electrical Plant. Since a CHP plant uses the thermal energy produced by the electrical generating equipment, it is a more efficient system than power normally produced by a central utility, thereby reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions of pollutants to the environment. Most CHP plants have a combined electrical and thermal efficiency higher than 80% as opposed to standard boiler plant and electrical Utility plant operations which are less than 40% efficient. [click here for link to US CHP website]
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WHY IS NYU DOING THIS PROJECT AND WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
NYU has owned and operated a CHP plant since 1980. This plant provides high temperature hot water to 40 NYU buildings and electricity to 7 NYU buildings throughout the Washington Square campus. Because the plant is at the end of its useful life, NYU will upgrade and replace the electrical generating equipment to increase the plant’s output, efficiency, and environmental performance. The new plant will continue to provide high temperature hot water to 40 buildings and will also provide electrical power to an additional 18 to 20 NYU facilities. The benefits of this project to the University include energy independence from the Utility, increased electrical reliability, reduced load on the Con Edison grid, reduced energy costs; reduced air emissions, and improvement in the look and use of the plaza area along Mercer Street between West 3rd Street and West 4th Street.
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HOW WILL THE NEW PLANT AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT?
Because of its high energy efficiencies the CHP plant will provide a 75% decrease of regulated pollutants, and a decrease of over 5,000 tons of greenhouse pollutants annually, than both the current plant and the local utility. This CHP project is one of the keystones of the University’s sustainability initiatives and is one of the main components of the University’s ‘Green Action Plan’. [click here for link to NYU’s ‘Green Action Plan’ Website]
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WHAT FUEL DOES THE NEW PLANT USE?
The new plant runs in a dual fuel capacity primarily using natural gas. For limited periods the plant can also use low sulfur diesel fuel.
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WHAT HAPPENS DURING A CON EDISON ELECTRICAL OUTAGE (BLACKOUT)?
The CHP will continue to provide power and heating to the buildings connected to it, independent of the utility.
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WHERE WILL THE NEW CHP PLANT BE LOCATED?
The new CHP Electrical Plant will be located under the sidewalk and plaza along Mercer Street between 3rd and 4th Streets, adjacent to the existing CHP Boiler Plant below Warren Weaver Hall at 251 Mercer Street. The existing plaza will be excavated and a concrete vault for the new equipment will be constructed below the surface. At the end of the project the plaza will be re-landscaped over the CHP plant. NYU has committed to improving the plaza design with a green, more inviting, usable, and visibly pleasing space.
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WHY THIS LOCATION?
The new CHP Electrical Plant location under the plaza along Mercer Street between 3rd and 4th Streets was chosen because it is adjacent to the existing CHP Boiler Plant below Warren Weaver Hall. This location permits the thermal output of the generators to be ‘fed’ back into the existing high temperature hot water system. In addition, the new location enables the existing plant to continue to provide electricity and high temperature hot water to the university during the construction of the new plant, thus minimizing service disruptions to the campus.
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WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE PLAZA ALONG MERCER STREET?
The plaza area along Mercer Street between West 3rd and West 4th Streets will be excavated to create a new vault in which the new plant equipment will be located. Upon completion of the construction, a new park will fill the plaza. NYU will be working with NYC Parks Department and the local community to design the new park to provide a more inviting, usable, and visibly pleasing space. Mature trees will be replanted throughout the plaza area as part of the plaza re-landscaping.
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WHEN WILL THE PROJECT START AND WHEN WILL IT BE COMPLETED?
The project is projected to begin over the summer of 2007 and will have duration of between 24 and 27 months.
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WILL TRAFFIC BE AFFECTED?
During construction, the sidewalks along the south side of West 4th Street, the west side of Mercer Street, and the north side of West 3rd Street will be closed to pedestrians and partitioned off with construction barriers. The east side of Mercer Street will remain open. Temporary walkways will be constructed on both West 3rd and West 4th Streets to reroute pedestrians as required. Vehicular traffic along both Mercer Street and West 4th Street will be reduced from 3 traffic lanes to two and West 3rd Street will be reduced from 4 traffic lanes to two. Warren Weaver Hall will still be accessible from the main eastern entrance via a new ramp on West 4th Street. Upon completion of the project, all pedestrian sidewalks will again be open and all traffic lanes and parking along Mercer Street and West 3rd and West 4th Streets will return.
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WILL THE NEW PLANT BE NOISY?
The new CHP plant is being designed and constructed with sound attenuating equipment to minimize all noise issues. Sound studies have been completed to measure existing ambient noise levels to ensure that the new plant does not exceed current conditions and meets all NYC noise ordinance requirements.
During the excavation and construction of the vault there will be construction noise (trucks, excavation equipment, etc.) typical of any NYC construction site. However, the University design team has mandated that the equipment have the most efficient noise attenuation equipment available and the method chosen for excavation and construction has the lowest noise impact of all available construction options. NYU is committed to providing noise mitigation methods which exceed the new NYC construction noise regulations, scheduled to take effect this July 2007.
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HOW WILL THIS PROJECT AFFECT CLASSES?
At this time the project team sees no substantive impact to classes or class schedule.
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WHAT BUILDINGS WILL BE CONNECTED TO THE NEW CHP ELECTRICAL PLANT?
The following buildings are connected to the existing CHP Electrical plant and will be reconnected to the new plant:
- Bobst Library
- Shimkin Hall
- Tisch Hall
- Warren Weaver
- Silver Building
- Brown Building
- Waverly Building
The following buildings are scheduled to be connected to the new CHP Electrical plant:
- Silver Towers
- Coles Sports Center
- Mercer Street Law Dorm
- D’Agostino Hall Dorm
- Vanderbilt Hall
- Hayden Hall Dorm
- Furman Hall
- Kimball Hall
- Kaufman Management Center
- Education Building
- Goddard Hall Dorm
- 715-719 Broadway
- Meyer Complex
- Weinstein Dorm
- Rufus Smith Hall
- 12-16 Waverly (new science center)
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WHO ELSE HAS A CHP?
Many other large institutions have CHPs. Other Universities with CHP’s include Harvard, Brown, Yale, MIT, Princetown, Stanford, Dartmouth, and Georgetown, to name a few. In addition, Columbia and Cooper Union are in development of a new CHP.
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HOW CAN I STAY INFORMED OF THIS PROJECT’S PROGRESS?
The FCM Cogeneration Project website will be updated throughout the project. Please click on the website ‘Mailing List’ and enter your email address and click ‘Submit’ to receive notices for website updates. The website will indicate project status, project schedule, and news about upcoming construction activities events. [click here to join the ‘Mailing List’].
In addition, FCM Construction Activity notices indicating upcoming construction events will be posted in the lobby of buildings directly affected by the construction.
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WHO DO I CONTACT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PROJECT?
Any questions, concerns, or comments regarding this project can be sent by clicking on the ‘ Contact Us’ link on the FCM Cogeneration website, by calling the FCM Helpdesk at (212) 998-1001, or by sending an email to fcm.helpdesk@nyu.edu
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