www.epa.gov
TEChBRIEF
nvironmental Technology Verification Program
ETV and Energy
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Greenhouse Gas Technology Center
The U.S. EPA Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Pro-
gram's Greenhouse Gas Technology (GHG) Center, in cooperation
with Southern Research Institute, verifies advanced energy tech-
nologies that improve efficiency or otherwise reduce greenhouse
gas emissions1. These may include:
• Technologies that produce or use sustainable or renewable
energy sources
• Technologies that offer improved efficiencies for environ-
mental performance of fossil fuels
• Technologies in hydrogen infrastructure
• Technologies associated with distributed electrical generation,
including combined heating/cooling and power applications.
The GHG Center has verified a total of 13 technologies for distrib-
uted energy production and energy efficiency: six microturbine/
combined heat and power (CHP) technologies and three fuel cells
that generate energy at the point of use; two gas processing systems
designed to make biogas amenable for use by distributed generation
energy systems; two internal combustion engines with heat recov-
ery for distributed electrical power and heat production; and one
ground-source heat pump for onsite water heating (see Table 1).
The complete verification reports for these technologies are avail-
able on the ETV Web Site at http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/std/etv/vt-
ggt.html. These reports provide full descriptions of the verification tests and
results. The GHG Center has collaborated with a number of organizations on
these verifications, including the State of Colorado, the New York State En-
ergy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), New York City,
and the EPA CHP Partnership.
Distributed Power Generation at a Glance
GHG has focused on the use of fuel cells,
microtubines, and engines as distributed
generation sources. Distributed generation
(DG) refers to power-generation equipment
that provides electric power at a site much
closer to end-use customers than central station
generation. In addition to the efficiencies
passed on by the technologies themselves,
power transmission losses can be avoided and
reliance on electricity from large electric utility
plants can be reduced. When well-matched to
a facility's needs in a properly designed CHP
application, net fuel consumption and overall
emissions can also be reduced. An added
environmental benefit of some DG technolo-
gies is the ability to fuel these systems with
renewable energy sources such as anaerobic
digester gas or landfill gas, which reduces
natural resource consumption. Furthermore, if
released to the atmosphere, these gases
contribute millions of tons of methane emis-
sions annually in the United States (U.S. EPA,
2006; Southern Research Institute, 2004).
Tim Hansen,
Southern Research Institute
hansen@sri.org
Tel: (919) 806-3456
The GHG Center recently initiated a strategic program to identify and de-
velop verification opportunities relating to the conversion of synthesis gas
(syn-gas) to liquids. A number of gasifiers generate syn-gas (CO and H2
blended with other gases) from coal, biomass, and waste streams (municipal
solid waste, tires, etc.). There is increasing interest in the commercial pro-
duction of ethanol, methanol and Fischer-Tropsch liquids from syn-gas. In
some cases, these processes are being scaled down for in-situ production of
—i liquids only. In other cases, larger installations could co-produce ex-
cess heat and power in addition to the liquids. Ultimately, the result
may be cleaner burning fuels, reduced greenhouse gas and hazardous
air pollutant emissions, improved energy security, and improved sus-
tainability.
ETV Greenhouse Gas
Technology Center
Lee Beck, US EPA Project Manager
beck.lee@epa.gov.
Tel: (919) 541-4021
ETV Water Quality Protection Center
Ray Frederick, EPA Project Officer
frederick.rav@,epa.gov. Tel: (732) 321-6627
Tom Stevens, NSF
stevenst@nsf.org. Tel: (734) 769-5347
ETV Drinking Water Systems Center
Jeff Adams, EPA Project Officer
adams.ieff@epa.gov. Tel: (513) 569-7835
Bruce Bartley, NSF International
bartlev@nsf.org. Tel: (734) 769-5148
Water Centers
Verifications conducted by the ETV Water Quality Protection (WOP)
Center and Drinking Water Systems (DWS) Center, both operated in
cooperation with NSF International, often report, as an operation and
maintenance requirement, the electrical power consumption or fuel
usage of the system during ETV testing. This information can help
technology end-users or purchasers gauge the potential energy
consumption of a technology for their intended purposes.
The ETV Program operates largely as a public-private partnership through competitive cooperative agreements with non-profit research institutes. The program
provides objective quality-assured data on the performance of commercial-ready technologies. Verification does not imply product approval or effectiveness.
ETV does not endorse the purchase or sale of any products and services mentioned in this document.
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Table 1. Verified GHG Energy Technologies
Technology Name
Technology Description/Application
Microturbines and CHP Systems
Capstone Turbine Corporation, Capstone 60 kW Microturbine
CHP System
Capstone Turbine Corporation, Capstone 30 kW Microturbine
System
Honeywell Power Systems, Inc., Parallon® 75 kW Turbogenerator
Honeywell Power Systems, Inc., Parallon® 75 kW Turbogenerator
with CO Emissions Control
Ingersoll-Rand Energy Systems, IR Power Works™ 70 kW Micro-
turbine System
Mariah Energy Corporation, Heat PlusPower™ System
Natural-gas-fired microturbine with heat recovery system for distributed electrical
power and heat generation
Biogas-fired microturbine combined with heat recovery system for distributed electrical
power and heat generation
Natural-gas-fired microturbine for distributed electrical power generation
Natural-gas-fired microturbine for distributed electrical power generation
Natural-gas-fired microturbine with heat recovery system for distributed electrical
power and heat generation
Natural-gas-fired microturbine with heat recovery system for distributed electrical
power and heat generation
Fuel Cells
DFC 300A Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell
Plug Power, SU1 Fuel Cell System
UTC Fuel Cells, LLC, PC25™ Fuel Cell*
A natural gas fueled molten carbonate fuel cell from which excess heat is recovered
for use on-site.
Proton exchange membrane fuel cell for distributed electrical power generation
Landfill gas clean-up and phosphoric acid fuel cell combined with heat recovery
system for distributed electrical power and heat generation
Gas Processing Systems
NATCO Group, Inc., Paques THIOPAQ
US Filter/Westates Carbon, Gas Processing Unit (GPU) (verified
with the PC25C Fuel Cell Power Plant)
Sour gas processing system for biogas purification
Carbon-based digester or sour gas processing system for anaerobic digester gas
Internal Combustion Engines
Aisin Seiki Co., LTD., 6.0 kW Natural Gas-Fired Cogeneration Unit
Martin Machinery, Inc., Martin Machinery
Internal Combustion Engine
Gas-fired internal combustion engine combined with heat recovery system for distrib-
uted electrical power and heat generation
Biogas-fired internal combustion engine combined with heat recovery system for
distributed electrical power and heat generation
Ground-Source Heat Pump Water Heating System
ECR Technologies, Inc., EarthLinked® Water Heating System
Ground-source heat pump water heating system
AThis technology was verified twice: first at municipal solid waste landfills and including a gas processing unit to operate using landfill gas (1 998), and sec-
ond at a wastewater treatment facility and including a gas processing unit to operate using anaerobic digester gas (2004). UTC Fuel Cells, LLC was known
as International Fuel Cells Corporation when it was verified in 1 998. This technology has since been renamed as the PureCell™ 200.
kW = kilowatts
Environmental and Sustainable Technology Evaluations (ESTE)
ESTE projects address specific, high-priority information needs of the EPA. ETV completed its first waste-to-energy
ESTE Project in 2008, during which two biomass co-fired boilers were tested using woody and pelletized biofuels. Client
offices within the EPA with an explicit interest in this project and its results include: Office of Air and Radiation (OAR),
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Partnership, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS), Combustion
Group, Office of Solid Waste (OSW), Municipal and Industrial Solid Waste Division, and ORD's Sustainable Technology
Division. In addition, letters of support have been received from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the Council of Industrial Boiler
Owners.
ETV expects to complete its second waste-to-energy ESTE project involving a
anaerobic digester in the summer of 2009. The digester is being used to treat
animal wastes at a large-scale farm. Methane and energy generation, organic
solids reduction, phosphorus reduction, and potentially pathogenic
microorganisms reduction will be verified.
ESTE Biomass Co-fired Boilers
Lee Beck, EPA Project Manager
Beck.Lee@epa.gov.
Tel: (919) 541-4021
ESTE Anaerobic Digesters
Wendy Davis-Hoover, US EPA,
Davis-Hoover. Wendv@epa.gov.
Tel: (513) 569-7206
References
Southern Research Institute, 2004. September. ETV Verification Statement: PC25C Fuel Cell Power Plant—Model C.
U.S. EPA, 2006. EPA/600/R-06/082. September. ETV Case Studies: Demonstrating Program Outcomes. Volume II.
U.S. EPA ETV, http://www.epa.gov/etv. EPA/eoo/F-oe/oi5
October 2006,
(updated June 2009)
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