SEH Energy Project Experience
Sustainability Plan
St. Louis County, Minnesota
SEH is working with St. Louis County on an innovative planning effort that has the potential to affect how the County will “do business” in the future.
During initial meetings with County staff, SEH has been helping the County define what sustainability means to them. Integral to this discussion is the reality of a region challenged by industry shut-downs and the struggle to stimulate job creation.
The County is considering managing the data gathered during first phase study efforts through a Sustainability Asset Management software that will track facilities, vehicles, and infrastructure in terms of life cycle and energy usage. This will allow the County to create prioritized maintenance and replacement schedules that integrate their sustainability objectives.
The SEH Energy team is offering the County guidance on a variety of topics, including:
Economics of Sustainability
- Saving money by assessing life-cycle costs of assets and by reducing maintenance needs.
- Positioning the County for future sustainability money by having action plans in place.
- Creating job growth by encouraging “green” business development through zoning and incentives.
- Move the County into the carbon credit market to realize a non-traditional revenue source.
- Maintaining strong tourism revenue base by protecting natural resources.
Sustainability is Local
- Consider specifying local materials as standard practice.
- Assess the County’s energy footprint via its facilities, purchasing, vehicle fleet, operations, and waste streams.
- Identify needs for planning adaptations to expand sustainability efforts to the city and resident level.
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Sustainability Plan
Maplewood, Minnesota
SEH is working with the City of Maplewood to develop and implement a comprehensive citywide energy efficiency plan. Funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program (EECBG), the City will analyze its energy use and conservation potential at existing City facilities. The City will be upgrading its building codes to improve energy efficiency in all new and remodel construction projects. Maplewood will also be converting all their energy records to the State of Minnesota B3 benchmarking system to track improvements in overall efficiency.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the existing conditions and identify various energy conservation measures at municipally controlled facility sites throughout Maplewood. The study will also help establish policies and priorities to move Maplewood in the direction of improved long term operational energy efficiency. The City could then implement the progressive installation of these measures at the prioritized locations as monies became available. The federal grant also provides funds for immediate actions in critical areas.
This project includes:
- Public participation and education component
- Preparation of short and long term energy plans,
- Documentation of existing energy use patterns,
- Energy audits for all major public buildings and facilities
- Replacement of two older boilers with new higher efficiency equipment
- Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) efficiency upgrades at City Hall
- Energy efficient lighting upgrades at community facilities, interior and exterior
- City’s contribution to a lighting efficiency upgrade at a large retail mall complex
SEH believes a focused energy efficiency and conservation study will be a great step forward for the City of Maplewood.
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Flambeau River Papers Building Expansion and Process Improvements
Park Falls, Wisconsin
To reduce the impact of rising energy costs, Flambeau River Papers set out on a massive energy conservation and generation program, including replacement of the motors that drove their paper machine.
By replacing inefficient equipment and systems, including removing the paper machine’s mechanical drives and installing a dozen variable speed electronic drives as part of a coordinated drive system, the mill will reduce its energy consumption and save costs.
Instead of viewing the project as solely a paper machine upgrade, SEH saw a total project: facility, machine, and turn-key delivery. SEH delivered the whole project – from design to administration – with the design/build delivery system through SEH’s subsidiary, SEH D|B.
SEH D|B led the building addition that houses the new motor controls and electrical feeds, in addition to:
- Integrating complex electrical enclosure into existing building’s structure over the roof of the existing MCC room.
- Installing 4160V switch and transformers for new process.
- Removing two steam turbines and replacing with coordinated Variable Frequency Drives and motors for paper machine.
- Modifying steam piping as required due to turbine eliminations.
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AMSOIL Manufacturing/Distribution Plant
Superior, Wisconsin
AMSOIL is a major producer of synthetic lubricants. In 2006, AMSOIL wanted to transform a more than 370,000-sq.-ft. building complex from a food distribution warehouse into a 10-million-gallon-per-year bulk plant and blending facility.
Using SEH D|B, SEH provided a “whole-project” design/build approach for the design and construction management for a $15 million synthetic blended oil plant.
The expansion required design and construction management services for a rail spur, truck terminal, and storage tanks with blending and packaging equipment, including:
- Truck access improvements
- Railroad extension
- Facility expansion and renovation
- Enclosed tank farm addition accommodates 30 large capacity storage tanks
- Spill containment
- Mechanical/electrical engineering
- Site and utility design, and on-site stormwater retention
- Fire protection
- Bulk Plant Storage, containment, pumping and piping for all operations from raw material receipt to packaging
- Evaluation of hazard risk in cooperation with State plan review
- Coordination of plumbing, controls, valves and motors for fluid transfer
- Coordination of multiple consultants and contractors
- Coordination of railroad, city and Owner requirements
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Mocassin Mike Landfill LFG Beneficial Use Analysis
Superior, Wisconsin
- SEH provided a beneficial use analysis of current and long-term LFG, including short-term LFG extraction pilot test to determine localized LFG quality and quantity.
- USEH evaluated beneficial use options based on the calculated LFG quantity and quality, including recovery of LFG for direct use, electricity generation, and treatment to pipeline quality.
- SEH factored capital investment, potential revenue, and long-term maintenance requirements into recommendations.
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Seven-Mile Creek Landfill Gas Control Flare System
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
- SEH provided environmental services associated with the landfill gas control system and a potential methane-to-energy project.
- Extraction system and flare to control gas from the expansion required an upgrade.
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