The Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) program is a US$438 million investment that will enable the Californian university to have one of the most energy-efficient power systems of any major research university in the world.
Stanford selected three different Goulds Pumps brand models as part of a district heating plan that will replace a current natural gas-powered cogeneration plant with an electricity-powered heat recovery plant. Studies have shown that the campus can recover up to 70% of the heat now discharged from the cooling system to meet at least 80% of simultaneous campus heating demands, significantly reducing fossil fuel and water use in the process.
Scheduled for completion in 2015, Stanford’s facility will help the campus to reduce carbon emissions by up to 50%, lower its water use by up to 18% and save an estimated US$300 million over the next 35 years.
The new facility will allow the university to regenerate the waste heat that the cogeneration plant discarded. Capturing and distributing the heat requires high-efficiency pumping systems and replacement of about 20 miles of piping across the campus.
ITT’s Goulds Pumps brand assigned a team of employees to focus on Stanford’s special delivery requirements. The company will also maintain the pumps during the construction.
RF MacDonald Co, the local Goulds Pumps brand distributor, helped to secure the order, expedite drawing submittals and obtain engineering approvals. The firm will provide local support through construction and commissioning.
“We are pleased to support Stanford’s impressive innovations in environmentally responsive technology,” said Robert Pagano Jr, president of ITT’s Industrial Process business.
“This is a transformational change to how Stanford produces and uses energy,” said Joseph Stagner, executive director of sustainability and energy management at Stanford. “It’s an energy system for the 21st century.”