A Cool Idea In Energy

Exploring the possibilities

Energy facilities cooled by water are more efficient overall, resulting in lower fuel consumption, lower emissions, and greater power generation. With this greater efficiency comes a smaller sized plant that would lower the capital cost of the facility’s creation, increasing the benefits to municipal customers and ratepayers. This smaller footprint also means less intrusion upon the area’s ecosystem and the size of land set aside for conservation would increase.

The Pioneer Energy Center was approached by the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency and asked to evaluate the potential benefits of water-cooling the facility. The one drawback to a water-cooled facility was apparent quickly: what would be the water source? Knowing that the Westfield River is the heart of the community, it was important to the Pioneer Valley Energy Center to keep it and the Barnes Aquifer untouched.

A solution overflowing with benefits

While exploring the benefits of a water-cooled facility, the Pioneer Valley Energy Center discovered that within one quarter mile of the facility’s site exists a set of pipes, used as recently as ten years ago, that connects two bodies of water owned by the City of Holyoke: the Tighe-Carmody Reservoir and the Ashley Reservoir.

The Tighe-Carmody is a source of water for the City of Holyoke, however the amount of water needed by the Pioneer Valley Energy Center to operate is minimal by comparison and would do very little to effect Holyoke’s water consumption. The revenue Holyoke would generate by the water’s sale would be a wonderful asset for the city and, better still, the residents and businesses can utilize energy generated by the facility.

By working with the City of Holyoke on this endeavor, the Pioneer Valley Energy Center can ensure that the Westfield River and Barnes Aquifer remain virtually untouched while efficiently producing energy for the City of Westfield and surrounding municipal utility supplied communities. Moving forward, the Pioneer Valley Energy Center will make the concept of a water-cooled facility an integral part of the plan, an improvement that will benefit the environment, the cities of Westfield and Holyoke, and the Pioneer Valley community as a whole.