Serving combined heat and power (CHP) to a district energy system: Rice University's approach

May 18, 2022 | Case Study

To achieve the goal of becoming a zero-carbon campus, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Southcentral CHP Technical Assistance Partnership, Rice University is tapping into a 7.4-MW CHP unit. The CHP unit includes two gas turbines, two heat recovery steam generators, and six chillers, which can generate 170,000 lbs/hr of steam and 13,188 tonne of chilled water at 80% to 84% efficiency, supplying 25% of Rice's electricity and 98% of its heat and cooling. The campus' district energy system, developed during the 1980s, delivers thermal energy to 50 campus buildings.