Northampton VA Medical Center

At a Glance
• System Configuration: 1 × C200S Grid Connect Capstone Microturbine System integrated with BAS controls
• Thermal Output: >500 lbs/hr of recovered steam to supplement the central facility boiler plant
• Annual Generation: >1,500 MWh/year of clean, grid-synchronized electricity
• Long-Term Service Partner: Commissioned in 2011 at the historic campus; serviced and maintained by Veristar Energy since 2016


The Challenge
Established in 1924, the Edward P. Boland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northampton, Massachusetts, spans a 105-acre historic campus with 129 inpatient beds dedicated to behavioral health, extended nursing care, and substance abuse treatment. Operating continuous healthcare facilities requires significant baseload electrical power and constant steam generation for building heat, domestic hot water, and medical sanitation. To support a new central boiler plant, the VA needed an ultra-low emission, resilient energy solution that could offset high New England utility rates while supplementing central steam production.


The Solution
The Northampton VA Medical Center installed a 200 kW Combined Heat & Power (CHP) system featuring a Capstone C200S microturbine, integrated into the campus Building Automation System (BAS) and maintained by Veristar.
• On-Site Baseload Electricity: Produces over 1,500 MWh of clean electricity annually behind the meter, directly lowering reliance on local grid utility power.
• Boiler Plant Steam Recovery: Captures exhaust waste heat to generate more than 500 lbs/hr of high-quality steam, directly feeding into the hospital's central boiler header.
• Displaced Boiler Fuel Burn: Replaces direct boiler gas firing with recovered thermal energy, extending central boiler asset life and reducing overall facility emissions.
• Quiet, Single-Moving-Part Reliability: Utilizes oil-free air-bearing microturbine technology to deliver continuous, low-maintenance thermal and electrical energy without disturbing campus healthcare operations.


The Results
• Annual Savings: Cuts annual energy overhead by $100,000, freeing operating funds to directly support veteran healthcare and clinical services.
• Low-Emission Campus Decarbonization: Delivers ultra-low NOx and greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with national VA sustainability and energy efficiency goals.
• Optimized Boiler Efficiency: Pre-heats and supplements facility steam distribution, significantly lowering thermal stress and fuel consumption across the central heating plant.
• A Decade-Plus of Proven Operations: Maintained continuously by Veristar since 2016, ensuring maximum uptime and sustained thermal recovery for the historic medical center.