By: Anna Weitz, Clean Energy Engineer

The third Industrial Power Connect event took place on July 24, 2025, at the Bacardí Rum Distillery in Cataño, Puerto Rico, drawing approximately 70 participants from the island’s industrial sector. With growing interest in Combined Heat and Power (CHP) as a resilient and energy efficient solution for Puerto Rico, the event centered on cogeneration technologies and included a technical tour of Bacardí’s onsite CHP facility.

Sponsored in part by the Southeast Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP), the event brought together industry leaders, energy professionals, and technical experts. Representing the Southeast TAP were team members Anna Weitz, Steve Lysenko, and Dr. Pedro Quintero of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, who delivered the event’s closing presentation.

Image: Bacardi Distillery

The day began with a safety briefing from Bacardí, followed by a presentation about maximizing their CHP operations. The audience then heard five additional presentations covering topics such as gas turbine applications, energy efficiency best practices, proactive maintenance strategies, system failure reduction, performance optimization, and innovative cold gas spraying techniques for power electronics.

Image: Dr. Pedro Quintero presenting to the group.

Following the presentations, Bacardí hosted an onsite technical tour of their CHP plant. Installed in 2023, the system is rated to deliver 3.1 megawatts of electrical power. Onsite anaerobic digesters generate biogas, which is co-fired with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG – primarily propane) to power the system. Together, these fuels enable the CHP plant to meet 100% of the facility’s energy needs.

The day concluded with a roundtable discussion on the unique operational challenges of energy systems in tropical climates, followed by a networking reception at the distillery’s visitor center.

Image: Anna Weitz, Clean Energy Engineer & Southeast Onsite Energy TAP team member

The Industrial Power Connect series will return on August 28, 2025, at Viatris Pharmaceuticals in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. The Southeast Onsite Energy TAP will again serve as a sponsor, contributing to the workshop and participating in a tour of Viatris’s onsite energy operations.