LEADING BY EXAMPLE
An alternative to rising utility costs
Indiana’s longtime Cat® dealer, MacAllister Machinery Co., moved into a new 360,000 sq. ft. under roof headquarters facility in Indianapolis. It is the only Cat dealer in the world with parts, light and heavy equipment rentals, power systems, and retail operations in a 12,490 sq. ft. retail center.
Indiana has become the 32nd in the cost of electricity compared to its former rank as the fifth cheapest. Indiana has a lot of heavy industry, whose facilities use a lot of electricity. They’re looking for ways to mitigate the higher costs from electric companies, which include high peak demand charges.
“Customers are looking for an alternative to accepting continued increases in utility costs,” says Chris Cummings at MacAllister Power Systems. “Our solutions for these customers not only reduce energy and demand costs, they can also integrate a solution using waste heat for added savings.
MacAllister produces its own on-site power with a natural gas-fueled Cat CG132B-12 generator set that runs continuously, providing up to 600 kW of electric power and one million BTUs of thermal energy to the facility. The heat provides supplemental space heating for the office and retail areas. The cogeneration system operates up to 70 percent total efficiency.
The generator and CHP system is designed for maximum uptime. The system has built-in intelligence that decides when to turn on and at what level to respond to electrical and heat loads. When the genset first started, it ran for 2,000 hours without shutting down until it was due for scheduled preventive maintenance. Savings for the cogeneration system can be up to $120,000 per year.
In addition to energy savings, the genset serves as an onsite demonstration tool. “The fact that we have one on site helps show customers how well the product works,” says company principal Chris MacAllister. “It’s nice to practice what you preach and have an installation that customers can come and see and consider for their operation.”