Renewing an Old Technology

The technology was a steam engine that provided electricity for a new tram system and centralized heat for 17 new city buildings. The centralized heat replaced individual coal-fired boilers each building had in its basement. The location was Seattle Washington 1893. A centralized system was cutting edge technology then.

Through a conscious evolution centralized heat is again cutting edge technology serving 200 buildings in the downtown Seattle area amounting to "seven percent of the City's overall energy usage" according to Stan Gent, President of Seattle Steam Company in a May 16th KUOW report with Ann Dornfield.

"Mid–century, Seattle Steam switched its fuel source from coal to natural gas. Last year, the company switched fuels again. Today, its boilers are fired mostly with urban wood waste from yards and businesses."

It is essentially a closed loop system that converts waste into usable energy. For example, heat is provided to Virginia Mason Medical Center that send their non-hazardous waste to Cedar Grove, one of several sources for wood bio-mass that is burned to heat the steam.

The KUOW report continues "Burning biomass still emits carbon dioxide (CO2). The argument is that biomass is carbon–neutral since it would have emitted that CO2 as it decomposed anyway. Gent says state–of–the–art filters and scrubbers also minimize the particulate and acid gas emissions from the wood smoke. This transition to renewable resources is helping to bring newfound attention to this 19th–century energy system."

The International District Energy Association first quarter report for 2011 said that by the winter of 2011 "Seattle Steam will likely use its wood-fired boiler more than 80 percent of the time." The six page report is interesting reading giving the details of construction and operation of the upgraded system.

 The revitalized system is working so well that Seattle City Councilman Richard Conlin is hoping it can be incorporated into the redevelopment of Yesler Terrace. 

Ann Dornfield wraps up with "now the wave of the future is a modern version of 19th century technology. Until the 1920s, Seattle Steam produced electricity as well as heat. Now the federal government has given the company an $18 million grant to recreate this system. As for the city, Richard Conlin says the council expects to unveil its district energy plans within the next year."

Seattle Steam has been able to transition to bio-mass fuel without increasing costs to its customers and has a target of cutting carbon emissions by 60%.