North Country Hospital Biomass Combined Heat and Power Demonstration Project

     

North Country Hospital in Newport, Vermont is a small acute care facility that serves 22 communities in two counties in Northeastern Vermont. It is typical of rural general hospitals across America, with 25 beds for inpatient care, an emergency room, a dialysis unit and critical outpatient services in 121,000 square feet. However, one thing that makes this hospital different is its biomass-fueled combined heat and power generation equipment. While more than two dozen schools in Vermont heat with biomass, North Country Hospital is the only hospital in Vermont, and one of only a handful in America, with a wood chip fueled-boiler that provides steam for heat, electric generation and for absorption chiller air conditioning.