North Loop Community Energy System
Using energy from HERC to provide affordable, sustainable heating
and cooling for the North Loop
Energy opportunities for the
North Loop
The North Loop neighborhood of downtown Minneapolis
is in the midst of unprecedented development. Along with
major residential and commercial growth, this community
will soon be home to the Interchange, a multi-modal
transportation hub and community gathering space. This
development provides the opportunity to create a district
heating and cooling system, establishing a modern and
efficient energy infrastructure to support the growing needs
of this neighborhood.
Maximizing the energy captured
from waste
Hennepin County is examining the potential for the
Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) to provide an
affordable and sustainable energy option for North Loop
businesses and residents. Developing a district energy
system would capture and use the heat currently lost
when generating electricity at HERC. This energy would
be put to use for space heating, hot water and space
cooling for customers in the North Loop. A district energy
system would improve the overall efficiency of HERC by
maximizing the amount of energy that is captured
from processing waste.
What is a Community Energy System?
Communities across the country are developing energy systems to meet their heating, cooling and electricity needs
through the use of more diverse and local fuel resources and high-efficiency production methods, such as cogeneration.
Cogeneration, or combined heat and power, is a process that generates both electricity and heat, extracting more usable
energy from the fuel and increasing overall efficiency. Throughout the world, district energy systems have proven to be an
efficient way to meet the heating and cooling needs of multiple buildings and increase the use of renewables.
The development of the North Loop provides the perfect opportunity to use the existing energy assets at HERC to anchor a
smarter community energy system. This will allow the North Loop to access the financial, environmental and community
benefits that community energy systems provide.
North Loop continued
Hennepin County Environmental Services
May 2013
www.hennepin.us/NorthLoopEnergy
Benefits of the North Loop Energy System:
For the customer
• Makes buildings safer, easier and less costly to manage by
eliminating the need for an on-site furnace, boiler or chiller.
This allows individual buildings to avoid storage of fuels,
chemicals, or refrigerants on-site, provides more usable
on-site space, and increases reliability.
• Provides access to diverse fuel options and efficient energy
production, which helps avoid fuel market volatility and
increases financial stability for energy budgets.
• Helps buildings qualify for environmental certifications,
such as LEED, B3, Green Globes and Energy Star.
For the community
• Accounts for the needs of multiple users, which improves
access to energy options and increases efficiency.
• Provides a more secure, adaptable and resilient energy source.
• Brings financial stability to projects and to neighbor–hoods by
emphasizing infrastructure investments and life-cycle costs.
• Uses existing energy assets and delivers new economic
opportunities to existing commercial and industrial
businesses.
For the environment
• Uses a renewable fuel resource, decreasing fossil fuel use
and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Increases the use of combined heat and power at HERC
and establishes an efficient distribution system, reducing
the risk of power supply shortages, energy price spikes,
power quality problems, and global climate change. As
efficiency increases, pollution decreases, which is why CHP
is considered by many to be one of the most cost-effective
means of improving air quality.
• Positions the county to sell energy in other forms, diversifying
the revenue structure to fund environmental programs.
Next Steps
Hennepin County is in the development phase for the North Loop District Energy System. The county and project partners will
thoroughly analyze the economic and environmental implications of this project before moving forward with development to
ensure that the project meets the long-term needs of the users and the community.
For more information about this project, contact:
Andrew Leith
Hennepin County Environmental Services
612-348-8993
Andrew.Leith@co.hennepin.mn.us
Michael Ahern
Ever-Green Energy, LLC
651-925-8251
Michael.Ahern@ever-greenenergy.com
34-902-01-13