Economic Sizing and Dispatch of Central Energy Plant Equipment at the Navy Medical Center, San Diego

The Navy operates a central energy plant providing cooling, heating, and electric power to their hospital in San Diego. With aging equipment, uncertain loads, and volatile energy prices, the Navy was facing critical issues regarding replacement equipment sizing and dispatch of all equipment at their facility. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratorya developed a spreadsheet model to determine the economic optimum size of new turbine generators and absorption chillers, and the economic dispatch of the entire central energy plant. This article describes the analytical approach taken for the study, with an emphasis on the optimization problems and strategies. Specific results for the Navy hospital are also presented.