electricity generation with RECs , the cost to Dulles International would be $ 201,000 per year based on 2019 electricity consumption of 221 million kWh
Feasibility of Combined Heat and Power at Dulles International
Combined heat and power ( CHP ) refers to the onsite production of electricity from a turbine and the capture of waste heat from this turbine to heat water . This hot water is then sent throughout the airport to heat the facilities when needed . Currently , we purchase both electricity and natural gas from our utility partners . Investing in a CHP facility would involve using natural gas to power a turbine to generate electricity instead of purchasing electricity . The goal with an investment in CHP is that over time , the initial capital costs of the equipment and ongoing natural gas fuel costs required to power the turbine are offset by the reduction in electricity costs . The addition of CHP might also provide resilience benefits in the form of onsite generation of power in times when the larger electricity grid is down .
In 2013 , the Authority commissioned an evaluation of the potential for CHP at both of our airports . At that time , the initial results were positive , particularly at Dulles International . At the time of the study , the financial payback of converting to CHP was less than 11 years . 26 This study assumed a cost for natural gas of $ 5.86 / million British Thermal Units ( MMBtu ). Since 2018 , the cost of natural gas has been consistently under $ 4.00 / MMBtu and often closer to $ 2.00 / MMBtu ( although some long-term projections indicate costs may rise ). As a result , we believe it is prudent to update this CHP analysis to determine if it is an investment we should make in the future . Therefore , we have asked our partner , NREL , to conduct an updated analysis in 2020 and we will explore our CHP options based on the results . The results of this analysis will be included in our future sustainability reports .
From a GHG emissions perspective , CHP would result in a reduction in our Scope 2 emissions at Dulles International ( e . g ., purchased electricity ) but an increase in our Scope 1 emissions ( e . g ., on-site natural gas combustion ). The current GHG emissions factor for purchased utilities for Dulles International is 100 kg CO 2 e per MMBtu . 27 For on-site combustion of natural gas , the GHG emissions are less at 60 kg CO 2 e per MMBtu . 28 So , in addition to the energy efficiency gains and the potential cost savings resulting from an investment in CHP , our GHG emissions would decline as well . However , this improvement could be temporary as the regional grid itself moves towards cleaner sources of electricity as was noted above given Dominion Energy ’ s clean energy goals .
Supporting the Creation of Renewable Electricity from our Municipal Solid Waste
As we discuss in the section on Sustainable Waste Management practices , one goal of the Authority is to reduce the amount of municipal solid waste ( MSW ) we generate . However , while we evaluate options for reducing our MSW generation , what we currently generate is used as a raw material to create electricity . Both Virginia and the federal government ( through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ) consider the conversion of MSW into electricity through combustion as a renewable energy resource . After separating out recyclable material , our remaining MSW is taken by our waste haulers to what is known as a Waste to Energy ( WtE ) facility in Fairfax , Virginia where it is incinerated at high temperature , generating electricity using steam turbine technology . WtE conversion reduces the weight of MSW by
26 “ Cogeneration Study Summary Report .” Ricondo & Associates , Inc . with CH2M Hill , Inc ., June 2013 . 27 See SRVC Subregion data in EPA , “ Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database ( eGRID ) eGRID2018 .”
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