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Generac Helps New York Housing Residents Move from Recovery to Resiliency
4/24/2018 12:00:00 AM
Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast in 2012, and while some businesses and homes have recovered, the impact is still being felt by thousands today. Many of the hardest hit were residents in apartments who were left without power, heat, and access to supplies for weeks, if not months.
As a result, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) sought funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for permanent repairs and infrastructure upgrades that would help ensure the safety of New York City residents should similar emergencies occur. FEMA awarded NYCHA a $3.1 billion grant for improvements to hundreds of apartments across New York City.
This grant included tactics to harden 33 public housing units and provide 327 standby natural gas generators as part of a “Recovery to Resiliency” program. Since many of these buildings are decades old, each one is assessed to determine needs. Then a plan is created to fix or replace outdated electrical and plumbing systems and bring them up to code. In addition, all key electrical components and standby generator units are being placed above grade (above the floodplain), to minimize negative impacts should flooding occur again.
“We worked with Huntington Power (HPE), a Generac Industrial Distributor, to create a proposal to coordinate installation efforts and provide generators that met the strict specifications which included sound attenuated enclosures to minimize noise for residents,” said Richard Lincoln, P.E., senior director of sales engineering & product management, Industrial Solutions for Generac. The contract was awarded in 2016.
Huntington Power (HPE) began working with NYCHA to install the natural gas-fueled generators — typically 150 to 750 kW — at the complexes in August 2017. Currently, 53 generators have been shipped and two-thirds of those have been installed.
Some housing units will be utilizing Generac’s innovative MPS system, which parallels two or more generators without the need for third-party switchgear. These MPS solutions were selected to manage the significant task of meeting natural gas fuel pressure requirements at 7 in. of water column while bringing up to 1000 kW of power online in less than 10 seconds when power outages occur.
“Natural gas was specified since during major storms like Sandy, delivery of diesel fuel is often delayed due to road debris, downed power lines, and other complications,” Lincoln said. “In fact, during Sandy, refineries were shut down, so no diesel fuel was available for extended periods of time. This means facilities can run out of fuel after three to four days.
“In addition, when fuel deliveries do resume, priority is typically given to hospitals, assisted care units, emergency response facilities and command post units — not residents of apartment complexes.”
Natural gas is available through underground piping that is rarely impacted during a storm, so the power supply will not be interrupted. Natural gas also reduces refueling costs.
HPE, a leader in providing products, services and solutions for emergency, standby and critical power requirements, has been coordinating one of the largest natural gas generator installation projects.
“The NYCHA project is challenging, as many different companies and entities are involved with each installation,” said Keenan Nolan, sales engineer, HPE.
“NYCHA has construction managers and engineers on staff, and they are also working with several different independent architects and engineers as part of a checks and balances system, with each firm handling three to four sites,” Nolan said. “There is also a general contractor for the project with a variety of mechanical, electrical and plumbing subcontractors.
“The engineers contracted by NYCHA have been using Generac’s Power Design Pro software to determine electrical loading, generator sizing and gas pipe sizing. They are also using spec sheets, SpecExpert and BIM documents — all the tools Generac provides to assist engineers and specifiers.”
According to Nolan, software is also being used to determine weight loading, as the generators are being installed above grade, typically on the roof, so load balance and ensuring the roof can withstand the added weight is crucial.
“We work as a team to obtain the proper permits and often need to gain permission to shut down roads, as the apartments are often located in areas with little green space and limited parking,” Nolan said. “While it is awesome to see the generator being hoisted into the air, it is extremely challenging to coordinate, as everyone has to be in the right place at the right time.”
Commissioning is the next step, and HPE is adding numerous qualified field technicians for the project, as the generators not only have to be activated but tested to ensure that they meet strict National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. The process should start at the end of March.
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