Combined heat and power (CHP) has long been a popular option for industrial self-generation, but new technologies and business partnerships are taking the sector well beyond the traditional boilers and diesel gensets.

The Erving Paper Mill in the western Massachusetts town of the same name has operated for more than 100 years. Once part of a thriving industry, it’s now one of a few remaining New England paper mills still clinging to life. Battered by foreign competition, paper mills like Erving have continued operating by finding profitable niches (Erving supplies products like recycled napkins to the food service industry) and keeping costs as low as possible.

Opting for modern self-generation is one way the mill has helped safeguard its role as one of the town’s largest employers. Paper mills have long relied on captive combined heat and power (CHP) plants, often fired by waste materials, but these aging boilers are drawing attention from environmental regulators concerned about emissions. Erving had a small fuel oil–fired boiler and steam turbine, but this old system was no longer sufficient even after being converted to natural gas.…

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