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Nantucket CHP System Nearly Complete

A/Z is preparing to complete the installation of a reliable and efficient energy generation solution on Nantucket in collaboration with National Grid and Solar Turbines. Together, this team has managed the installation of a combined heat and power (CHP) system driven by a 13 MW Solar Titan 130 turbine generator. As power is currently distributed to the island via underground cable from mainland Cape Cod, the CHP system will provide a critical, local source of redundancy and additional capacity.

As tourism slowed down in the cooler months, the team took full advantage of this logistical window. The CHP equipment was transported to the island by barge and then trucked down the island’s narrow streets to the project site located five miles away from the port.

The team conducted detailed planning to ensure continuous safety and minimize impacts to residents and local businesses during the transportation of this equipment—which included a 100,000-pound turbine, a 107,000-pound generator, a 43,000-pound auxiliary equipment skid, and an electrical room, which is 12 feet by 50 feet and 59,000 pounds.

Once the equipment was on-site, the team rigged and set them on concrete pads before interconnecting the various piping and electrical systems. A rigorous testing schedule will precede the full start-up and operation of the critical system.