Cogeneration is the sumultaneous production of two forms of energy from a single fuel source. In our case, we will be using natural gas to make electricity and hot water for heat and domestic hot water for the Inn. The system will be located in Catherine’s pottery studio and will be able to be viewed by guests at the Inn and for tours. The energy production will be avilable online as well.
The typical power plant generates electricity at a 35 to 40% efficiency and dumps all the rest of the heat to the atmosphere or to a body of water (casuing other issues in the lake) so for 10 units of fuel you get 3.5 to 4 back in usable energy. This is partly due to the fact that everyone wants to power plants burning dirty coal to be located far away so it is impossible to use the heat energy that could be captured.
With smaller scale distributed energy and using cogeneration , for every 10 units of fuel, we can get back 9 units of usable energy in the form of electricity and hot water thus benefiting the environment. Europe generates 35% of the energy by cogneration while it is only about 8% in the US.
The Green Leaf Inn is a unique project that combines a building renovation, new construction, commercial and residential as a hotel. This is a demonstration project for sustainable green building products and energy and water systems. As the first net zero energy hotel project, we will show products for all rooms of a home owner and also a commercial enerterpirse and of course hospitality goes without saying. Education and being exposed to different products and energy systems and water treatment is critical for building a sustainable future. With the population expected to be 450 million in the USA we can’t continue on our same path. It doesn’t mean living poor but choosing where we apply our assets and investments.
As we create new energy systems and green building oroducts, we create new economic opportunities that will keep more money in the local economy.
The Green Leaf Inn will be videotaping the entire building of the hotel to show people what is available in the market, how it works, where you can get it and how to implement it at your home or building. We will be setting up an online tv show as well as using youtube. As the first net zero energy hotel, your products will not only be seen online and in print, but every year, 4,000 upper income couples will be coming to stay at the Inn and hear the story
