Gaylord Rockies Resort
- Fuel Type Natural Gas
- Application Hotel/Resort
- kW Production 4,000 kW
- Location Aurora, CO
About This Project
Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties and managed by Marriott International, is the largest hotel and convention center in the state. It has 485,000 square feet of convention space, 69 event rooms, and 1,501 guest rooms. It has one utility feed with backup generators for critical loads, risking major disruptions during power outages.
To improve power resiliency, the hotel partnered with Unison Energy to install a 4 MW combined heat and power (CHP) microgrid. This system provides over 94% of the hotel's power and offsets 94% of its natural gas usage by capturing waste heat. The microgrid ensures continuous operation during grid outages, enhancing guest and conference experiences.
- 4.0 MW of installed electric capacity, with two 2.0 MW generators operating at 73.2% efficiency.
- 480 V operating voltage, with one 13.8 kV step-up transformer
- Load following and island mode capabilities
- Waste heat used for domestic hot water Carbon footprint reduced by 30.4% or 14,000 tons per year*