Ridge Road Building | Yukutan, AK

posted on Monday, March 15, 2021 in CHP Case Studies

“The YANMAR unit has kept every promise made to us. The cost savings have been phenomenal, and the support from YANMAR America in our challenging market has been excellent.” – Tom Harris, CEO of Yak-Tat Kwaan, Inc.

Project Overview

The Ridge Road Community Center in Yakutat, Alaska is a 7,000 square foot mixed-used building with offices and apartments. YANMAR installed a 5 kW propane blackout start cogeneration unit outside of the building in a covered power shed to replace the costly diesel-powered generator that was already in place. This particular building benefits from stable power, as well as generated heat, which is used for heating and hot water needs.

Reason for Choosing YANMAR

Since Yakutat is a rural community in Alaska, the need for a cost-effective, reliable heat and power source for the building was great. YANMAR’s 5 kW cogeneration unit was able to meet this need using its blackout start option, which provides the building with continuous power and heat independently of the grid. In addition, the more affordable cost of propane versus other fuel types available for heat and power in this remote location generates significant financial savings for the building’s owners.

Supplementary benefits of the system that aided in the decision to install YANMAR’s product include the fact that the unit (54 dB(A) from 3 feet) is quieter than the electric power utility’s grid diesel power system, its compact size, improved operating efficiency and lowered environmental impact (carbon footprint reduction of up to 50%).

Results

Overall, the CP5WN’s operating utilization (heat + electricity) is high (96% average) because the mCHP system’s primary purpose in this application is to provide heat recovery to the facility with generating electricity as the secondary purpose.
The CP5WN’s heat utilization (100% average) is high throughout the year, even during the summer, due to high and consistent thermal demand from the community building.
The unit provides 100% of the building’s electricity and heat requirements year-round.

Download Project Summary