|
|
Thermal Energy
Facts
Akron Thermal Energy System Facts
Ohio Edison began serving 12 downtown buildings with steam, generated at
its Beech Street plant in September, 1927.
By 1947, Edison has added an electric substation to its Beech street
plant and four more boilers. This same year, Edison invested $475,000 to increase capacity
by almost 1/3.
By 1953, the Downtown steam plant had 531 customers. A decade later, 375
buildings were being served.
The City of Akron constructed a Recycle Energy System in the 1970's to
burn trash and garbage from Summit County customers to produce steam. In 1978, Ohio Edison
gave the City of Akron its Beech Street Steam Plant.
After 1979, the City employed operators to manage the RES plant. A
worker died in one of several explosions at the plant.
In addition to steam, the city also developed a chilled water system for
summer cooling of downtown buildings.
By 1994, the city of Akron had invested $100 million in cutting-edge
technology to make the RES plant work. Without the cooperation of trash customers in the
county, insufficient fuel was being generated to allow the plant to operate efficiently.
In October, 1994, after the EPA identified the RES plant as a source of
dioxin in the air, Mayor Plusquellic shuttered the Recycle operation, rather than invest
an additional $30 million to eliminate the dioxins.
In 1995, the City of Akron entered into a lease with Akron Thermal, a
Limited Partnership to supply steam, hot water, and chilled water to downtown buildings.
Customers today: 87 steam; 21 hot water.
Akron Thermal has contracts with large customers including the
University of Akron, AGMC, Summa, and CHMC; as well as Canal Place; and serves other
customers under tariffs regulated by the PUCO.
|
|
