Docket ID No. EERE-2013-BT-STD-0040 Energy Conservation Program

Page | 001

Solar Turbines Incorporated
9330 Sky Park Court
San Diego, CA 92123
Tel: (858) 694-1616
September 4, 2014
To: Ms. Brenda Edwards
U.S. Department of Energy
Building Technologies Office
Mailstop EE-5B
1000 Independence Ave S.W.
Washington DC, 20585-0201
compressors@ee.doe.gov
cc: Mr. James Raba, compressors@ee.doe.gov
Mr. Michael Kido, Michael.Kido@hq.doe.gov
Ms. Johanna Hariharan, Johanna.Hariharan@hq.doe.gov
From: Chris Mellos
Solar Turbines Incorporated
mellos_chris_s@solarturbines.com
858.292.3095
Re: Docket ID No. EERE-2013-BT-STD-0040
Energy Conservation Program for Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment:
Gas Compressors; Request for information
Fed Reg. Vol. 79, No. 150, Pgs. 45377-45380
Aug. 5, 2014
Solar Turbines Incorporated (Solar) appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on the
U.S. Department of Energy’s request for information (RFI) regarding the Energy Conservation
Program for Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Gas Compressors.
Solar is a manufacturer of centrifugal gas compressors [and industrial combustion turbines
(1000 to 30,000 hp)]. Solar began manufacturing centrifugal gas compressors, for low,
intermediate and high pressure applications in the oil and natural gas industry in 1960. Since
then, Solar has sold more than 5900 gas compressors around the globe which have logged
more than 600 million operating hours onshore and offshore. Solar’s domestic fleet of gas
compressors numbers over 2500.
An energy conservation standard is not necessary or relevant for gas compressors due to the
complexity of the applications in which they operate. Because high efficiency has a direct
impact on the profitability of an operation, gas compressor users consistently strive to
maximize efficiency.
Many operational, design, and application factors impact the actual efficiency that a gas
compressor can achieve in practice. Please reference the two attachments for additional