College of Wooster Cogeneration Plant

The College of Wooster, in Wooster, Ohio, runs a 375 kW coal-fired cogeneration facility. The facility - a topping cycle, backpressure turbine driving an induction generator set - was converted to cogeneration in 1992, and now produces both electricity and steam for the campus. Wooster's cogeneration system produces about 1,280 MWh of electricity per year.

The cogeneration project was eligible for federal grant funds through the Department of Energy's Grant Program for Schools and Hospitals, also known as the Institutional Conservation Program (ICP). Robert H. Fuller & Associates, Inc. completed the necessary study and grant application for the College, and was successful in securing a 50% federal grant for this project. The turbine/generator set has been estimated to burn an additional 145 tons/yr of coal. The project cost was $233,000.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Campus coal plants
 * Existing U.S. Coal Plants
 * Opposition to existing coal plants
 * Coal
 * Coal and jobs
 * Coal-fired power plant capacity and generation
 * Coal phase-out
 * Coal plant conversion projects
 * Coal plants near residential areas

External resources

 * Anne C. Mulkern, "Colleges Are Battlegrounds for Coal Fight," Greenwire, October 14, 2009.
 * Campuses Beyond Coal Campaign, Sierra Club, September 2009.
 * "DOE Announces Winners of Annual University Coal Research Grants," July 7, 2005.
 * American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment