Save a little here, and a little there: municipals recover waste heat

Easton, Maryland is following a philosophy of using its electric power generators more efficiently rather than look for new sources of power. Operating as a heat exchanger, municipal water circulates between the plant and surrounding heat-pump-equipped houses and plants. Stage Two of the plan will be to pre-heat domestic hot water by solar power to increase heat pump efficiency. Easton will also be one of five test sites for a waste-heat-recovery program that will take advantage of the waste heat produced by the town's small diesel generating systems. The Rankine cycle bottoming system will be tested by a joint DOE-Sundstrand Corp. project and is expected to achieve an annual energy saving of $108,000. Other test sites will involve two other companies and will examine the opportunities of waste heat recovery for small towns. The systems have the advantage of short lead times and rapid commercial application.