Time and time again we hear experts say not only do investments in energy programs see speedy paybacks, but oftentimes the actual investment itself can be diminished through the number of tax and utility incentives available.

If you had any doubts, a recent announcement from the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) may cast them aside. The school was awarded a whopping $5.6 million from electric provider National Grid—the largest incentive of its kind offered by the utility in the commonwealth.

The funding will be used for a 14,000-square-foot energy-efficient expansion of the UMMS power plant.

As the academic partner to UMass Memorial Health Care, UMMS and its power plant provide energy and power for UMass Memorial Medical Center’s University Campus.

Here’s a video about the partnership and the project.

Boasting a high-efficiency, 7.5-megawatt, gas-fired combustion turbine and an associated heat recovery system, the expansion will boost the medical school’s capacity to generate electricity while reducing its green-house gas emissions.

The expansion will also support the 500,000-square-foot Albert Sherman Center research and education facility currently under construction and scheduled to be completed in December.

With the new cogeneration system in place, UMMS will increase its maximum electric output from 10 to 17.5 megawatts, allowing it to meet most of the electrical demand of the campus and provide all the steam and chilled water needed for heating and cooling.