2006 – Growing energy demand prompts HBPW to pursue expanding generation at the James DeYoung coal power plant. This begins a six-year exploration of new generation technologies including algae biofuel, a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler, and carbon sequestration. See the timeline.

2012 – Year-long Sustainable Return on Investment (SROI) study conducted by HBPW and HDR (a global independent consulting firm) examines the affordability, reliability, social, economic, environmental and health impacts of several generation options. Study points toward a natural gas solution with supplemental Power Purchase Agreements for renewable energy. Watch the SROI presentation.

2013 – HPBW selects location for the Holland Energy Park around 5th St & Fairbanks. The brownfield site’s proximity to downtown allows for easy expansion of the snowmelt system and offers the opportunity to renew and improve the city’s primary eastern gateway. Here’s the site before and after demolition. Read more about selecting the site.

2014 – The Blue Ribbon Panel, made up of several community representatives, agree on a design that represents a resource, destination and gateway for the Holland community. Learn about the design process.

2015 – HBPW breaks ground on the Holland Energy Park and construction begins. The park is scheduled to open in early 2017. Watch the groundbreaking ceremony.

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The need for expansion

One benefit of having the Holland Energy Park natural gas plant close to downtown is that it can support expansion of our snowmelt system. Currently, Holland’s snowmelt is at maximum capacity, supported by the oldest operating coal-fire unit at the James DeYoung power plant. Clear sidewalks, streets and parking spots have been a major factor in attracting businesses and customers to the downtown commercial district year-round since the snowmelt system was first installed in the late 80s. As the district continues to grow down 8th Street and with proposed changes to the Civic Center, it will be important that the snowmelt system grow as well to promote continued economic growth.

New construction

With the completion of the Holland Energy Park slated for early 2017, HBPW expects to transition the snowmelt system over to being entirely supported by the new plant next year. As anyone who drove through Holland would have noticed this summer, construction crews have already made significant progress on installing the new headers, which will carry warm snowmelt water to and from the plant, under 8th Street and down Central and Columbia Ave. Additional work on 9th Street this summer will help complete the layout of new headers.

Holland’s system represents the largest municipal snow melt system in the United States, and the advantages for the community are clear: no snow and slush, increased safety, extended pavement life, and increased activity downtown to name a few. Downtown owners, tenants and customers alike all benefit from this system, and HBPW is committed to growing and sustaining it for years to come. For more details and a history of our snowmelt system, take a look at the linked brochure from the HBPW:

HBPW Snowmelt Brochure

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Learn About the Holland Energy Park Cooling Towers

Why do we need cooling towers?

As construction advances on the Holland Energy Park (HEP), passersby will notice significant progress on the cooling towers structure nearest Chicago Drive. These towers are critical components for cooling the “combined cycle” process that increases the thermal efficiency of the plant. To learn more about how it works, check out the diagram below. Notice how the closed loop from the cooling towers captures excess heat from the plant, helping condense steam from the combined cycle process back into liquid.

How the combined cycle plant works.

What comes out of the cooling towers? Is it smoke?

The only thing exiting the cooling towers is clean water vapor. The cooling towers evaporate water from an entirely separate and contained loop that does not come in contact with the combustion or generation processes.

Will there be a plume?

One of the most frequent questions we hear about the HEP cooling towers is, “Will it produce a big plume [cloud] or shut down the road like the plant in Zeeland?” Unlike the natural gas plant near Chicago Drive in Zeeland, our cooling towers are equipped with ClearSky plume abatement technology to ensure virtually no plume on most days and a very reduced plume under the most inclement conditions. This was an important concern to us from the beginning stages of our planning process including site selection, and so we elected to invest in plume abatement early on to avoid any interruptions to the road or surrounding natural area. Learn more about the process at http://spxcooling.com/Clearsky/solutions/

*image property and courtesy of SPX Cooling, ClearSky Solutions: http://spxcooling.com/Clearsky/solutions/

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Energy Park builder Krystle Kosbar wins MASCI Apprenticeship Award

Barton Malow employee Krystle Kosbar earned the 2015 MASCI Excellence in Apprenticeship Award for her commitment to developing her craft, leadership skills, community service and competitive spirit. The Michigan Apprenticeship Steering Committee (MASCI), founded in 1977, is a multi-sector advocacy group promoting the benefits of Registered Apprenticeship programs. Kosbar has been an apprentice with Barton Malow at the Holland Energy Park since March 2015 developing her skills as Operating Engineer.

“Krystle sets a great example for the next generation of builders,” said Pat Zinser, the instructor who nominated her. “Energetic, sharp and always on top of her game, she’s been a valuable asset to our team.”

The Holland Energy Park construction project employs over 200 builders from across the region, about 18 of which are Registered Apprentices developing their craft.

“I can’t imagine a better project to help workers improve their craft,” commented Dan Nally, business services director at HBPW. “The Energy Park is a chance to learn while working on a world-class project.”

Kosbar was also featured in a Pure Michigan Talent Connect video promoting construction jobs for the state. Check it out below:

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One engaging feature of the new Holland Energy Park will be a visitor center that uses both internal and external space to showcase the stories about our history, technology, community and environment that are intertwined in the Energy Park.

We took a big step toward our vision for the visitor center last month when the project’s design company–the Design Minds–visited Holland for two days of interviews and fact-finding. The high point of the visit was an evening meeting at the Holland BPW service center at which the Design Minds team met with educators, business people and civic leaders for a community charette on how the visitor center should look, feel and function.

Charette participants in a brainstorming session at the HBPW Service Center.

Declaring their two-day visit a great success, the Design Minds team said they plan to have conceptual ideas ready for discussion with the project team by mid-January. To learn more about the Design Minds and the kinds of work they’ve done visit their site.

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Senator Gary Peters visited the Holland Energy Park yesterday to learn the story behind it’s development and the environmental improvements to the area. Accompanying him on the tour were Mayor Robert Vande Vusse, HBPW board president Tim Hemingway, general manager Dave Koster, project director Dan Nally and operations director Ted Silers. The group toured construction progress and looked at the core technology already in place on site. They also talked about efforts to restore the adjacent wetland, expand community access to the natural area and combat invasive species.

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Read the report here. Or find the original download and more at Environmental Leader’s website.

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Barton Malow, partnering contractors and unions signed a partnership agreement with the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) on Wednesday marking a pledge toward an exceptionally safe work site at the Holland Energy Park. The agreement represents a proactive commitment toward demonstrating leadership, responsibility and accountability in worker safety across the whole project. It also sets forward an ultimate goal of zero injuries, zero accidents and zero near misses – goals to be accomplished by creating 100% safe site conditions through collaboration, education, monitoring and enforcement.

The Holland Board of Public Works is a supporting partner of the agreement, which is consistent with our absolute commitment to employee and vendor safety in our operations.

*Special thanks to Brenda Woodman for providing photography.

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The West Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council in partnership with Holland Board of Public Works and Barton Malow will hold a career fair from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 9 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Holland, 650 E. 24th St. The career fair will support the construction of the new Holland Energy Park and is ideal for boilermakers, bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, insulators, ironworkers, laborers, millwrights, operating engineers,roofers, sheet metal workers and plumber and pipefitters.

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Midwest Energy News covered the Holland Energy Park this week with a nice write-up on our snowmelt system and the backstory behind developing the plant. Find the full story at Midwest Energy News.

*Photo property of Midwest Energy News.

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