Despite raising the ire of many an environmentalist, Detroit's incinerator, which is managed by Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Authority, does do something appealing: turning waste into fuel, which is then distributed to 145 buildings -- like the Detroit Medical Center, Cobo Hall, the Renaissance Center, Henry Ford Hospital, Ford Field and the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center -- by
Detroit Thermal.
Detroit Thermal operates what is known as a District System, much like one run by Consolidated Edison of New York City, which feeds almost 2,000 buildings with 350 mW of electricity annually. The appeal of such a system to a business or institution is simple: it gets to turn over its energy needs to another entity for which energy is its core business -- thus avoiding duplicity, gaining security and oftentimes cutting costs.
Detroit Thermal operates three plants. Its main one, located on Madison St. downtown, is six stories and was built in 1923. The company itself was purchased from DTE Energy in 2003 and, since then, more than $35 million has been invested in its plants and distribution systems -- including the purchase of two package boilers (price tag: $4 million each) that are each capable of delivering 150,000 pounds of steam per hour.
Koppang, who has been with the company for two years, is determined to get the word out about Detroit Thermal's capacity and efficiencies. "We already provide 2 million pounds of steam heat to the city of Detroit annually," says president Victor Koppang. "And our system was built for many more customers who want to join us."
Source: Victor Koppang, Detroit Thermal
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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