A Sustainable Future Through Engineered Renewable Energy Solutions
ENK believes that renewable energy, home grown resources, clean energy and utilizing environmentally responsible technologies is critical to reducing greenhouse emissions and will contribute to an overall solution for the greater societal good by reducing our carbon impact footprint in the unfolding energy and climate change crisis. Initiating some form of renewable or clean energy strategy may not only provide a sense of self-awareness that you are contributing to an overall solution but may also provide you with energy independence and price stability in a world were energy cost keep rising.
ENK works closely with its strategic partners on varies renewable projects such as Solar Farms, Solar Roof/Ground mount systems, Cogeneration, Trigeneration and Quad-generation projects. These project sizes can range from 30KW to 100MW contingent upon the clients’ requirements. ENK coordinates with local utilities, townships and Electrical Advisory Boards to ensure that all local codes and interconnection requirements have been addressed and that the design elements are in strict adherence to these requirements. ENK assists in the development of the financial model as it relates to electrical baseline consumption and anticipated production levels. If your energy cost is high, ask us how we may potentially help you to lower that cost.
ENK is on the design team of the first Quad-Generation system in the United States that includes the complete capture of produced Cabon-dioxide which is processed through an FDA approved system that can be used for carbonated beverage production.
ENK is working closely with its strategic partners to provide professional electrical engineering services to support the project. The renewable energy design team’s expertise encompasses a diverse range of cutting-edge technologies, meticulously tailored to unique energy requirements, site-specific conditions, and sustainability goals:
What is Photovoltaic (Solar) Power?
Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, using photovoltaics (PV). Photovoltaics convert light into electric current using the photoelectric effect. This power can be harvested to offset your utility power consumption or in some instances back-feed green power into the utility grid. Reducing to overall carbon footprint of the facility and reducing your utility bill.
ENK working closely with its strategic partners can help harness the abundant power of the sun with our expertly designed solar energy solutions. From aesthetically integrated rooftop installations for commercial buildings to expansive, high-yield solar farms for utility-scale applications, we provide end-to-end design services. This includes detailed site analysis, precise system sizing, selection of high-performance components, structural engineering considerations, grid interconnection strategies, and financial modeling to ensure optimal efficiency and return on investment.
What is Co-Generation / Tri & Quad Generation?
Cogeneration is a clean, efficient and reliable method of generating electricity and heat on site to offset expensive utility bills. This is also known as combined heat and power(CHP). Co-Generation also helps in significantly reducing the overall carbon footprint of the facility by maximizing the use of fuel. Traditional buildings buy electricity from power plants and burn fuel to produce heating for domestic water or space heating. On-site fuel burning boilers have an approximate efficiency of 80%. Standard fossil fuel power plants burn fuel to generate electricity. These power plants lose 67% of the fuels energy in heat to produce electricity therefore they are approximately 33% efficient. Reducing this number further in transformation loses and transmission line losses, could be another 7% making the utility power efficiency approximately 26%. An onsite Cogeneration plant can use a single fuel source to generate electricity at approximately 34% efficiency while capturing the waste heat at an approximate efficiency of 55% and turning it into heat for domestic hot water or space heating. Simple calculation proves that total effective efficiency of the standard practice is approximately 53% where the onsite Cogen’s Total Efficiency can range from 85% – 91%.
Trigeneration is similar to Cogeneration with one critical factor. The Trigeneration system is able to produce combined cooling, heat and power. (CCHP)
Quad-generation is similar to Trigeneration with one critical factor which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with integrated advanced Carbon Capture technologies preventing its release into the atmosphere.. The Quad-generation systems not only provides a highly efficient on-site power, heating and cooling but also captures the carbon dioxide produced during the process for carbon utilization or sequestration, offering a pathway towards near-zero emissions energy generation. As an example the captured CO2 may be used in Green-houses for growing various plants, beverage production or other processes that incorporate CO2 into production of various products.
What is BIOMASS?
Biomass is biological or organic material derived from living, or recently living organisms. In the context of biomass for energy this is often used to mean plant based material feedstocks such as wood chips, agricultural residues, and dedicated energy crops. This material is used as fuel to generate both Heat and Electricity.
Biomass takes carbon out of the atmosphere while it is growing, and returns it as it is burned. If it is managed on a sustainable basis, biomass is harvested as part of a constantly replenished crop. This is either during woodland or arboricultural management or coppicing or as part of a continuous program of replanting with the new growth taking up CO2 from the atmosphere at the same time as it is released by combustion of the previous harvest. This maintains a closed carbon cycle with no net increase in atmospheric CO2 levels.
Burning fossil fuels (Fuel Oil & Coal) releases carbon that has been removed from the Carbon Cycle Millions of years ago and provides a net increase in the current atmospheric CO2 levels.
What is a Microgrid?
A microgrid is a localized energy system that can operate independently or in conjunction with the main power grid. It’s a self-contained network of interconnected loads (the electricity consumers) and distributed energy resources (DERs) within clearly defined electrical boundaries. These resources can include:
• Renewable energy sources: Solar panels, wind turbines, biomass generators.
• Traditional generation: Diesel or natural gas generators, combined heat and power (CHP) systems, fuel cells.
• Energy storage systems: Batteries, flywheels, electrostatic energy storage systems (supercapacitors).
• Controllable loads: Devices that can adjust their energy consumption based on microgrid conditions.
The key characteristic of a microgrid is its ability to island itself from the main grid and operate autonomously during outages or for other economic or environmental reasons. When connected to the main grid, it can draw power or even supply excess power back to the grid. A central controller typically manages the various components within the microgrid to optimize energy use, balance supply and demand, and ensure stability.
What is a BESS System?
A BESS System stands for Battery Energy Storage System which is designed to capture energy from various sources and store it in rechargeable batteries or electrostatic energy storage systems (supercapacitors) for later use. BESS systems are crucial for stabilizing electrical grids. They can rapidly respond to fluctuations in demand and supply, helping to maintain a consistent frequency and voltage on the grid. This prevents blackouts and ensures reliable power delivery. There are numerous BESS systems with various available technologies that provide varying levels of benefits or drawbacks.
Solar and wind power are intermittent (they only generate electricity when the sun shines or the wind blows). BESS systems store excess energy generated during peak production times from renewables and release it when those sources aren’t active, making renewable energy more reliable and dispatchable. The integration of renewable energy and reducing reliance on fossil fuel-fired “peaker plants” (which are typically used during peak demand), BESS systems contribute to decarbonization efforts.
During periods of high electricity demand (peak hours), electricity prices are often higher. BESS can charge during off-peak hours when electricity is cheaper and then discharge during peak hours, reducing costs for consumers and alleviating strain on the grid.
BESS can provide backup power during outages, ensuring continuous operation for critical infrastructure, businesses, and even homes.
What is a Power Purchase Agreement?
A power purchase agreement (PPA) is an effective way to build onsite solar, cogeneration or trigeneration plants that are owned and operated by a third party in exchange for a commitment from the site owner to buy a minimum amount of energy for a specific period of time.
What makes a PPA an attractive option?
- The PPA provider is more cost effective because:
- They have experience with numerous energy production projects
- They have economies of scale because they can sharing the cost between projects
- They may utilize tax credits across the portfolio to further reduce cost
- There is no maintenance or operation risk to facility owner. They only pay for the energy they consume.
- The PPA provider brings knowledge of energy industry and is aware of the changing regulations to execute and operate the plant efficiently.
Is your facility a candidate for a PPA?
Generally, if your energy cost is high, it may be worth investigating an alternative energy project or even a PPA. ENK along with its strategic partners can help in analyzing if there is a potential to lower the cost or if a PPA is feasible for your specific situation.