Tecogen Sells 5 CHP Units – First Sale in Conjunction with New Installation Partner

Tecogen Inc. (TGEN – $3.93), which designs, manufactures and installs industrial and commercial cogeneration systems, sold five 100 kW InVerde e+ Combined Heat and Power units at once through MMI Mechanical Inc.

MMI Mechanical, based in Brooklyn, NY, specializes in the service and installation of heating and hot water equipment for large residential, commercial and industrial facilities. This is the first project with MMI for Tecogen, and hopefully the start of a fruitful relationship.

The five CHPs will provide electricity, space heating and domestic hot water to over 1000 residential units in a 5 building complex in Harlem, NY. All systems will be equipped with the Ultera emissions control system, which nearly eliminates the emission of harmful pollutants that contribute to smog (including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons).

Although MMI will install the five units, maintenance will most likely be handled by Tecogen. The equipment is expected to ship shortly.

Replacing Old Equipment

The Tecogen state of the art CHPs will replace an old oil-fired steam plant. One of the major advantages of the new technology versus the old one, is that the InVerde e+ systems are expected to eliminate approximately 2,750 tons of carbon dioxide per year. To put that in perspective, reducing emissions with 2,750 tons of carbon dioxide equals removing 527 cars from the road or planting nearly 65,000 trees.

Moreover, because a CHP recovers free waste heat from the electric generator, it can cut a building’s energy bills considerably. Knowing that the average InVerde e+ saves customers between $50,000 and $100,000 annually on their utility bills, the 500 kW system will generate combined savings of approximately $250,000 to $500,000 per year.

It is worth noting that in this particular case installing one 500 kW CHP unit from TTcogen was no option. Remember that Tecogen offers CHP systems in the 65 kW to 100 kW range. While TEDOM, the partner in the TTcogen joint venture, offers a full product portfolio ranging in size from 35 kW up to 4 MW.

In this instance however, five separate buildings have to be serviced. Consequently, one InVerde e+ will be installed in each block. In addition, the TEDOM units don’t have an inverter yet. As a result, they are not certified for standby power in the United States. The latter will only be a temporary issue, as the Tecogen inverters are being adapted for the TEDOM units.

Conclusion

It’s great to see that Tecogen’s growing network of energy service companies, engineering firms and construction companies, with whom it has a strong working relationship, helps to secure a constant flow of new orders. The latest 5-system order from new customer MMI Mechanical is again testament of this feat.

Also noteworthy is that the systems will be installed in New York. Tecogen has been highly successful in that area with dozens of CHP orders during the past year. This level of activity in New York is mainly driven by one of the highest spark spreads in the United States. In addition, the availability of government incentives and strict emissions regulations add to the growing interest and demand in Tecogen’s clean energy products. We see no reason why this will slow down in the future. Buy recommendation.

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