During the recent blackout that effected the Northeast and Midwest, DTE Energy Technologies customers kept their power on and businesses running thanks to energy|now™ on-site energy systems. According to DTE, one such customer was the Botsford Health System Kidney Center in Detroit.

The center had installed a 75-kW energy|now system that worked throughout the outage. Despite the fact that the center had no water service, it remained open the day after the outage for critical assessments and again the next day for patients.

The energy|now customers are not dependent on the electrical grid. Through the use of internal and external combustion engines, power is generated on-site and can withstand any outage caused by grid failures, inclement weather, and other unforeseen circumstances. These engines run on natural gas, and can be equipped with combined heat and power capability, in which waste heat is recovered for water heating, air conditioning, space conditioning, or process use in facilities with high thermal requirements.

— by J.J. Siegel

Publication date: 09/01/2003