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NYU Microgrid

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations6
System facts19
Sources reviewed7
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

The NYU Microgrid is New York University's Washington Square campus combined-heat-and-power system, not NYU Langone Health's separate 11 MW Energy Building or NYU Tandon research microgrids. The plant entered full operation in January 2011 with two dual-fuel Solar Taurus 60 gas turbines, heat-recovery steam generators and a 2.4 MW steam turbine, for 13.4 MW peak electrical output. It distributes electricity to 26 university buildings and thermal service to 44. The recovered catalog's 5.5 MW capacity is one gas turbine's nominal rating, not the whole CHP plant.

Research status
NYU's own 2021 campus account describes the cogeneration plant as serving its Washington Square network, and no authoritative source found through July 2026 reports retirement. It remains best classified as an operational grid-connected CHP microgrid capable of separating from Con Edison, with natural gas as its normal fuel and liquid-fuel capability for backup. NYU has pursued campus decarbonization/net-zero planning, but no reviewed source establishes replacement of the plant, addition of BESS/PV to this microgrid, or a current annual availability/emissions result.
Historical classification
CHP
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
40.72951, -73.99646
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in NYU Microgrid?

6 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

Consolidated Edison

Host utility; the campus operates grid-connected under normal conditions and can separate to sustain its internal network. [5][6]

Organization

New York University

Owner/operator and campus thermal/electrical customer for the Washington Square cogeneration microgrid. [2][3]

Organization

NYU

Publicly named participant; role not specified in the recovered record [1]

Organization

Skanska

Construction manager identified by the automation contractor for the plant project. [4]

Organization

Solar Turbines

Manufacturer of the two Taurus 60S dual-fuel combustion-turbine generator sets. [3][5]

Organization

Thermo Systems

Automation general contractor for the cogeneration project, including controls, instrumentation, panels and SCADA integration. [4]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

KW Gas/Diesel
5500 [1]
Total electrical capacity
13.4 MW peak: two nominal 5.5 MW Solar Taurus 60S gas turbines plus a 2.4 MW steam turbine. Some project reporting rounds each gas turbine to 5.6 MW. [3][5][6]
Gas turbine generation
2 x 5.5 MW nominal dual-fuel combustion turbines, reported as 2 x 5.6 MW in POWER's commissioning account. [3][5]
Steam turbine generation
2.4 MW backpressure/steam-turbine generator using recovered thermal energy. [3][5]
Heat recovery
Two heat-recovery steam generators, each producing about 20,000 lb/hour unfired and up to 60,000 lb/hour with duct firing; each has a 70 MMBtu/hour duct burner in the NYSERDA configuration. [4][3]
Cooling
Steam-driven/absorption chilling of roughly 2,400-2,500 tons, with reporting varying by equipment description and operating configuration. [4][3]
Campus service footprint
Electricity supplied to 26 buildings and heating/cooling service to 44 buildings in NYU's 2021 description. [2]
Plant cost
Approximately US$125 million for the 2011 CHP replacement project. [5][6]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

Combustion-turbine generators

Solar Turbines — Taurus 60S

Two nominal 5.5 MW dual-fuel turbine-generator packages; natural gas is the normal CHP fuel and liquid-fuel capability provides resilience. [3][5]

02

Heat-recovery steam generators

Cleaver-Brooks Nebraska Boiler

Two HRSGs recover combustion-turbine exhaust heat and include duct firing to increase steam output. [5][3]

03

Plant controls

Rockwell Automation / Allen-Bradley — ControlLogix and FactoryTalk

Redundant ControlLogix PLC architecture with FactoryTalk supervisory software, control panels, instrumentation and SCADA integration delivered by Thermo Systems. [4]

04

Steam turbine generator

Model not publicly disclosed

2.4 MW turbine-generator powered by recovered steam; manufacturer/model was not established in the reviewed sources. [3][5]

05

Absorption/steam-driven chiller

Model not publicly disclosed

Approximately 2,400-2,500 tons of cooling capacity integrated with the campus thermal network; manufacturer/model was not established. [4][3]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • Identity boundary

    This record covers NYU's Washington Square campus CHP/microgrid. NYU Langone Health operates a separate hospital energy facility, and NYU Tandon conducts separate microgrid research; their capacities and equipment must not be added here. [2][3]

  • Architecture

    The plant uses two combustion turbines with separate HRSGs, a common recovered-steam system, a 2.4 MW steam turbine, district thermal distribution, automated controls and a utility intertie with protective relaying. It can operate as a grid-connected CHP plant or electrically isolate the campus network. [3][4][5]

  • Hurricane Sandy performance

    During the October 2012 regional blackout, the system separated from the grid and maintained electricity to the connected campus core, including essential services. This is demonstrated islanding performance, not merely a design claim. [6][2]

  • Efficiency and emissions

    The commissioning account reports approximately 80% overall CHP efficiency. NYU/New York sources estimated about 23% lower carbon emissions than the prior oil-fired plant; the NYSERDA report also records NYU's estimate of 57,500 tons/year and 38% reduction under its study assumptions. These dated estimates use different baselines and should not be presented as one current audited result. [5][6][3]

  • Economics

    The New York State 2100 Commission estimated annual utility-cost savings of roughly US$5-8 million. This is a post-Sandy policy-report estimate rather than a current NYU financial disclosure. [6]

  • Current evidence gap

    No authoritative post-2021 source found through July 2026 gives present heat/electric output, fuel consumption, islanding-test frequency, emissions, outage statistics or major equipment replacement. A state-supported net-zero study shows decarbonization planning but does not establish retirement or conversion of this plant. [2][7]

Provenance

7 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2021-01-17

  2. [2]
    Green Campus Tour

    New York University · Primary source

  3. [3]
    Microgrids: An Assessment of the Value, Opportunities and Barriers to Deployment in New York State

    New York State Energy Research and Development Authority · Primary source

  4. [4]
  5. [5]
  6. [6]
  7. [7]
    NYU Net Zero Campus Study

    New York State Regional Economic Development Councils · Primary source

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