Introduction

Though the market has softened in the early part of the new century, there continues to be interest in developing on-site generation. Among the possibilities, microturbines are appealing because they offer compactness and simplicity not readily available before.

But it is a big step to add on-site generation. One needs to be clear in one's thinking about the benefits and headaches on-site generation creates. At the end of the day, for those who decide to proceed with on-site generation, it must be observable to others in the organization that the benefits outweigh the headaches.

This chapter will:

• suggest a framework for the development of a feasibility study to assess costs and benefits of the microturbine project

• provide a basic understanding for developing a project plan to carry out a generic microturbine installation

• discuss some special attributes of a variety of possible installation sites

• impart an awareness of the best practices for operating and maintaining a microturbine

• explain some nonroutine considerations one should consider when operating and maintaining microturbines

At best, this chapter will acquaint one with these concepts. It goes without saying, each installation has its own unique characteristics and requirements. A feasibility study must include all the characteristics and their implications on costs and benefits. It will help the customer determine whether to proceed. If so, the next step is to develop a detailed project plan.

The project plan is based on the site's characteristics. With microturbines just emerging, some special considerations may not be known. This is...