Generating Own Electricity with #2 Oil?
This is a bit off-topic, but I couldn’t think of a better forum to post it on as Brownstoners are remarkably well-informed. The question: is it legal for an office building within NYC to generate its own electricity using a diesel (#2 oil) generator? Since they fine buses and trucks for idling, it seems odd…
This is a bit off-topic, but I couldn’t think of a better forum to post it on as Brownstoners are remarkably well-informed.
The question: is it legal for an office building within NYC to generate its own electricity using a diesel (#2 oil) generator? Since they fine buses and trucks for idling, it seems odd that this is allowed. In addition, if its legal, can this building sell current back to Con Ed? If so, that seems even more bizarre as I assume this electricity would be ‘dirtier’ than Con Ed.
Funny part of this – if you use heating oil to produce electicity, it prety much the same as use it to heat the house. In other words you will heat the house and have electricity as byproduct. Because all electicity consumed in your house more or less will be converted into the hear (expept air conditioners).
Let’s say you save $50/moths. It means you will need to run your $1000 generator 20 months nonstop to pay back the cost.
20 month = 600 days = 15000 hours. I do not think generators last that long.
Ejalbk,
Yes. It is legal to do so. As a matter of fact it is quite common in CHP (combined heat & power) schemes. If you want more information look up CHP and cogeneration on the ‘net. BTW there are a number of large residential buildings doing this too. I believe the newest one in NYC is The Toren in Brooklyn.
-SteamMan
A very significant lower Manhattan building has several diesel turbines that are more than enough to power the entire high rise and then some. They can switch to their own power with ease but because there standard demand is so high it damages ConEds equipment every time they slam the breakers shut. This wouldn’t be a problem except that they monitor ConEd’s incoming power and if it dips below an acceptable level or the wave form is wrong they give ConEd 30 minutes to correct to it or they disconnect and kill ConEd’s transformer. It is perfectly legit though heavily regulated. Generators and automatic transfer switches are getting very popular in Staten Island where people have the real estate coupled with real crappy commercial power. The power from a large building is far cleaner electrically than ConEd’s antiquated equipment, unless you were referring to the environmental impact in which case the difference is negligible as the turbines and generators are very efficient and ConEd burns coal.
I think a lot of utility companies have “load shedding” programs where larger comercial buildings with emergency generators turn them on during periods of high demand (usually hot weather) in order to reduce load on the power grid. In exchange for this the buildings get a lower electrical rate.
The reason people dont do it is because the cost to produce the electricity by burning diesel is higher than what you can sell it back to the utility for. Its not about the pollution, it doesnt make economic sense unless you build a giant power plant and that may raise the attention of some city officials…
Most large office buildings have a backup generator or three that are large enuf to provide electric for the whole building. They run on diesel. Most of the ones I’ve seen are made by Caterpillar.
The installation and especially the location of the fuel tanks, pumps, etc. is strictly regulated by the NYFD.
I know of at least one building in Manhattan that generates all of its own electric with these, but that’s rare.
It is a weird situation cuz certainly they are ‘dirtier’ than coned power. Yet coned likes them cuz coned can disconnect the whole building from the grid on short notice, and ask them to go on emergency power, alleviating pressure on the grid from other sources.
The city wouldn’t make it thru a heat wave without these.
Don’t know if they sell electric back to the grid, but that would be uncommon.