south energy center brochure

8/7/2019 South Energy Center Brochure

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SOUTH ENERGYCENTER

A GRU Business


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W E L C O M E

Welcome to the South Energy Center. GRU is proud

to serve the community with this combined heat

and power acility that delivers reliable, eco-

riendly and cost-eective energy to the Shands

Cancer Hospital at the University o Florida.

The South Energy Center is a signifcant part o

GRUs long-term commitment to being a national

leader in energy efciency. The acilitys ability to

simultaneously produce power, steam and chilled

water or air conditioning results in electricity

generated at 2.5 times the thermal efciency o a

traditional, ossil uel-powered plant.


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The South Energy Center is the rst combined heat andpower facility in the southeastern United States. Thefacilitys state-of-the-art technology requires only oneengineer to be onsite to monitor the equipment.

BREAKING NEW GROUND

Powered by natural gas, the South Energy Center usesstate-of-the-art technology to provide the Shands Cancer

Hospital at UF with all of its energy needs. The center

includes a 4.3-megawatt turbine, a heat recovery unit and

three chillers. It is the rst on-site hospital energy center of

its type east of the Mississippi and only the second in the

nation.The facility is also one of the rst on-site energy

centers in Florida to serve 100 percent of a hospitals

electric, heating and air conditioning needs. The South

Energy Center ensures that the hospital can provide

uninterrupted access to health care even during a

catastrophic event such as a hurricane.Shands Cancer Hospital at UF is one of only four

hospitals in the nation that is Gold-certied under the U.S.

Green Councils Leadership in Energy and Environmental

Design Program (LEED), which is in large part due to the

innovation and efciency credits it earned from the South

Energy Center.


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A UNIqUE COLLABORATION

In 2007, Shands HealthCare was faced with the immediate

need for an energy package to support the development of

its new cancer hospital. Shands ofcials thought it was

important that the health system focus on continuousimprovement and reinvention of patient care rather than

energy delivery. Therefore, Shands sought out an energy

provider that could deliver reliable and efcient energy.

Shands found GRU appealing for several reasons. Both

companies share a deep pride in and commitment to the

community. With energy generation and delivery as its corebusiness and an employee base of more than 850, GRU

also offered a signicant amount of expertise and resources

to meet Shands at UFs day-to-day needs and strengthen its

emergency resources. GRU recommended a stand-alone

power facility on the hospitals campus so it would be less

susceptible to power outages during severe storms becauseits energy source would be independent from the

traditional electric grid.

Today, GRU contractually provides the hospital with

all of its energy needs while meeting all regulatory

requirements for reliability, redundancy and life safety

codes.


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PROIDING MORE THAN ENERGY

The facility is capable of functioning as an island, providing

fail-safe power to the hospital in the event of a local servicearea blackout. Two independent grid connections and a gas

turbine generator provide a high level of electrical

redundancy, as any of these could completely power the

hospital and South Energy Center. Additionally, there is an

emergency diesel-powered generator to provide backup in

the event that all other power sources fail.On top of reliable electrical power, the South Energy

Center is responsible for supplying the hospital with steam

and chilled water as well as delivering medical gases.

Highly-treated reclaimed water from GRUs nearby Main

Street Water Reclamation Facility is used to provide cooling

for plant equipment and irrigation to the hospital. Usingreclaimed water reduces the amount of new ground water

withdrawn from the Floridan Aquifer, which supplies the

community with its drinking water.

The hospital also uses GRUs telecommunications

service, GRUCom, for highspeed voice and data

transmission, allowing personnel to conduct and share

work in real time over a single network.

The South Energy Center (right) is situated less than300 yards from the hospital (left), greatly contributingto energy efciency and reliability.


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FL Gas Transmission

ExhaustGas

Exhaust Gas

Emergency Power

GRU Circuit

Steam

Chilled Water

Gas

ExhaustGas,

Low

Emissions

Exhaust Gas from the Turbine

GRU Circuit from Kelly Substation

GRU Circuit from Depot Substation

Auxiliary

Boiler

DuctBurner

Heat RecoverySteam Generator

CombustionTurbine

DieselEngine

Generator

Generator

Natural Gas-Powered Combustion Turbine and Generator

This unit is the main source of generated power at the facility,providing 100 percent of the electrical needs of the Shands Cancer

Hospital at UF and the South Energy Center. Any excess electric power

it produces goes to GRUs main electric grid.

Heat Recovery Steam Generator

The heat recovery steam generator captures the hot exhaust from the

combustion turbine, which would normally be released into the

atmosphere. Instead of wasting this energy, the generator uses it to

produce steam that runs the hospitals heating system.

Duct Burner

This burner efciently provides a supplemental supply of heat to the

hospital in the event that there is an insufcient amount of waste heat

created by the combustion turbine.

Auxiliary Boiler

In the event that the heat recovery steam generator is undergoing

maintenance or repair, the auxiliary boiler offers backup by generating

steam to provide the hospital with its heating needs.

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THE SOUTH ENERGY CENTER PROIDES 100% OF THE


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Steam

Emergency Power

Chilled Water

TO SHANDS CANCERHOSPITAL AT UF




ChillerMotor

Motor

Chiller

SteamTurbine

Chiller

Chillers

These three chillers provide the hospital with 42-degree chilled waterfor its cooling system. The chiller powered by the steam turbine is very

energy efcient, using the steam produced by the hot exhaust

captured by the heat recovery system generator.

Two Independent Grid Connections

In case the combustion turbine generator fails to produce power, two

independent grids from GRUs main electrical circuit are connected to

the energy center so it can provide interruptible service to the hospital.

Diesel Engine Generator

If both grid feeds and the on-site turbine generator fail due to a

catastrophic event, this emergency diesel-powered generator is a quick

starting backup power source, ensuring electrical reliability for the

hospital and energy center.

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SHANDS CANCER HOSPITAL AT UFS ENERGY NEEDS


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ENIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ANDENERGY MANAGEMENT

The South Energy Centers ability to simultaneously

produce electricity, chilled water and steam greatly

enhances energy efciency and reduces emissions

compared with traditional, centralized power plants.

The facility has a projected annual energy savings

of 46 percent in comparison with traditional generation,

which is equal to the power needed to run more than

3,000 homes. The facility is also projected to condense

carbon emissions equivalent to taking 4,100 vehicles off

the road.

This level of efciency is achieved, in part, by

capturing the hot exhaust from the turbine, which would

normally be released into the atmosphere as wasted

energy. The hot exhaust produces steam that is then used

Three chillers help the hospital meet its cooling needs.


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The heat recovery system generator creates steam fromwasted energy and uses it to power the steam turbinegenerator as well as for the hospitals heating system.

to run the hospitals heating and cooling systems.

Since the plant is powered by new natural gas

technology, it also produces ultra-low emissions in

comparison with other fossil fuels.

Only 32 percent of a typical coal-red power stations

primary fuel is converted into electricity. Overall, the South

Energy Center is 75 percent efcient in converting fuel to

useful energy.


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BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR

GRU and Shands HealthCare have strong ties to Gainesville,

with employees who both serve the community and live init. The unique relationship between the two organizations

has become a source of pride within the community and

provides multiple benets.

Patients come to Shands at UF from every county in

the state, from all over the nation and from many other

countries as well. With the South Energy Center, cancer andtrauma patients as well as their friends and family can

expect a health care resource they can count on to provide

reliable service. And during a catastrophic event, such as a

hurricane, the community can be secure in the knowledge

that its medical needs will still be met.


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GRU electric customers also benet from the South

Energy Center as it strengthens the electric system and

provides a non-traditional revenue source that can help

reduce upward price pressures.

Aside from reliable services, the exterior design of the

South Energy Center was also very important. The energy

center was designed and built to blend into the overall

design aesthetic of the medical campus and contribute to

the beauty of the community. It was also designed to be

expandable to meet Shands HealthCares future growth

plans for the academic medical center.

The South Energy Center allows Shands HealthCare tomeet its mission every day: providing patients with thebest health care service.


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Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), owned by the City of

Gainesville, is a municipal enterprise providing electric, water,

wastewater, natural gas, and telecommunications services to

customers in the greater Gainesville area. 9/10

Printed on recycled paper.

south energy center brochure

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