In Nov 2020 Better Plants program launched the Virtual In-Plant Trainings (VINPLTs) to help partners strengthen their workforce and identify energy savings opportunities while minimizing the risk of infection during the COVID pandemic. The feedback to the VINPLTs were very positive and many participants requested to continue and expand the VINPLTs because of its outstanding technical depth and convenience for attending.
Better Plants will deliver a VINPLT on Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Systems from November 29 to December 20, 2022. The CHP VINPLT will be performed by industrial experts and Technical Account Managers using Zoom. The CHP VINPLT comprises Five (5) 2.5 -hour online training sessions (2-hours formal training and optional 0.5-hour Q&A) that will be delivered on every Tuesday and the first Thursday 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM ET for four (4) weeks. Participating in this VINPLT is free and open to all US manufacturers.
Participants will be trained on the fundamentals of CHP systems, CHP project screening and implementation, and integration with utility grids. Software tools and other resources will be introduced and case studies for some industrial sectors will be discussed from the perspectives of project cost, energy savings, energy cost savings, power resilience, etc. Participants will have 1-1 private tutoring time with the experts for any questions.
To maximize the benefits from attending VINPLTs, homework assignments will be given to the participants at the end of each session and will be due by the next session. These homework assignments are designed to enhance participants’ understanding of CHP systems and perform CHP system screening for their facilities. During the last session of the VINPLT, participants can share their finding from evaluating installing CHP system at their sites and how they plan to optimize their systems.
At the completion of the VINPLT, Professional Development Hours (PDHs) Certificates will be prepared for the attendees on demand basis. To collect the assessment data, diagnostic equipment can be arranged and shipped to the partners. The Better Plants diagnostic equipment are available on a first come, first serve basis.
Nov 29, Dec 1, 6, 13 and 20, 2022; 10:00AM–12:30PM ET (2.0-hour formal training + optional 0.5-hour Q&A)
Session 1: Fundamentals of CHP Systems. (10:00 – 12:30pm ET; Nov 29; Tuesday)
- DOE CHP Technical Assistance Partnerships (TAPs) program
- The fundamentals of CHP systems: how CHP works and its major components; why we need CHP; the maintenance and operations of CHP systems.
- CHP system optimization
Session 2: CHP Project Screening. (10:00 – 12:30pm ET; Dec 1; Thursday)
- Favorable conditions for CHP application
- The process and required data points for CHP project screening
- What is next after project screening?
Session 3: CHP project implementation. (10:00 – 12:30pm ET; Dec 6; Tuesday)
- Project implementation and management
- Contract with utility companies
- Integration of microgrid to the utility grid
Session 4: Success stories and Case studies (10:00 – 12:30pm ET; Dec 13; Tuesday)
- A case study from food industry
- A case study from wastewater treatment industry
- A case study from chemical industry
- Case studies from other sectors
Session 5: Virtual Reality Demonstration for CHP and Participants Presentation; (10:00 – 12:30pm ET; Dec 20; Tuesday)
- Use Oculus to demonstrate real CHP systems and review key points of Sessions 1 to 4
- Participants present their findings from the CHP screening, optimization, and what they have learned
TBD
