From GE:

GE Congratulates LM6000 Customer TECO on Winning US EPA’s ENERGY STAR CHP Award

June 29, 2015

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• Thermal Energy Corporation (TECO) uses GE’s LM6000-PD SPRINT* Aeroderivative Gas Turbine to Help Heat and Cool Texas Medical Center in Houston
• Awarded for Recognizing the Importance of CHP as a Way to Reduce Emissions and Generate Power, Heat and Steam with High Efficiency
• GE Continues Support of CHP for District Energy and Distributed Power Applications in the U.S.

BOSTON—June 29, 2015—GE (NYSE: GE) is pleased to congratulate Thermal Energy Corporation (TECO) for being selected as one of three winners receiving the 2015 ENERGY STAR CHP Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As first announced by EPA leaders at the IDEA Conference in Boston today, TECO’s combined heat and power (CHP) system received the award in its first eligible year and is centered around one of GE’s LM6000-PD SPRINT* aeroderivative gas turbines, producing 48-megawatt (MW) total power output.

CHP, also known as cogeneration, simultaneously generates electricity and thermal energy (heat) using a single, integrated system. TECO’s CHP system began operation in 2011 and is an ultimate form of energy efficiency, allowing for both electricity and heat—leading to steam—to be produced from the gas turbine, resulting in 30 percent less fuel needs than grid-supplied electricity and typical steam production. As a result, TECO avoids an estimated 32,700 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, or the equivalent of the electricity used by more than 4,000 homes. The system is used primarily to heat and cool more than 19 million square feet of the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest healthcare complex. In addition, excess power is sold to the local electrical grid and supports grid stability in the greater Houston area.

“We are thrilled to congratulate the team at TECO for winning this award from the EPA,” said Darryl Wilson, chief commercial officer of GE’s Distributed Power business. “Our LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbine is a proven industry-leading solution for district energy and CHP needs. We’re proud to partner on the TECO system, which is a model for others to follow both in the United States and globally.”

The LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbine, provided by GE’s Distributed Power business, was first introduced in the early 1990s and has since accumulated more than 31 million combined operating hours with more than 1,100 units delivered. The turbine’s high exhaust temperature and efficiency result in it being an ideal fit for CHP systems in the 40-60 MW range.

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. 

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. GE Power & Water joined the CHP Partnership in 2007. The partnership works closely with energy users, the CHP industry, state and local government and other clean energy stakeholders to facilitate the development of new CHP projects and to promote their environmental and economic benefits.

About GE’s Distributed Power Business

GE Power & Water’s Distributed Power business is a leading provider of power equipment, engines and services focused on power generation at or near the point of use. Distributed Power’s product portfolio includes highly efficient industrial reciprocating engines and aeroderivative gas turbines that generate 100 kW to 116 MW of power for numerous industries globally. In addition, Distributed Power offers life cycle services and support for more than 39,000 distributed power products worldwide to help customers meet their business challenges—anywhere and anytime.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Distributed Power employs about 5,000 people around the world.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

About GE Power & Water

GE Power & Water provides customers with a broad array of power generation, energy delivery and water process technologies to solve their challenges locally. Power & Water works in all areas of the energy industry including renewable resources such as wind and solar, biogas and alternative fuels; and coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. The business also develops advanced technologies to help solve the world’s most complex challenges related to water availability and quality. Power & Water’s six business units include Distributed Power, Nuclear Energy, Power Generation Products, Power Generation Services, Renewable Energy and Water & Process Technologies. Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Power & Water is GE’s largest industrial business.

Follow GE Power & Water on Twitter @GE_PowerWater and on LinkedIn. To hear the latest news and conversations for Distributed Power, use the Twitter hashtag #DistributedPower.

*trademark of General Electric Company