Capstone Turbine Corp., a manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, received an order for a C600 and C1000 that will be installed at the City of York (Pa.) Wastewater Treatment Plant in York.
The York City Sewer Authority and its partner municipalities will hold a groundbreaking ceremony today for the plant's new combined heat and power (CHP) system, which will be fully operational in summer 2011.
As part of the CHP system, the methane-fueled C600 simultaneously will supply 600 kW of electricity for the facility and create hot water to heat the building and the site's two 98ºF anaerobic digesters used in the waste treatment process.
The plant, which serves more than 170,000 residents in eight municipalities, will use the C1000 to generate more power when the plant's demand for electricity rises, and for peak shaving several hours each day.
"Peak shaving allows a facility to lower electricity costs by producing power onsite when utility rates rise," said Jeff Beiter, managing partner at E-Finity Distributed Generation, the exclusive Capstone Mid-Atlantic distributor that secured the order.
York officials expect the new cogeneration facility will generate more than 2.5 million kW of electricity, reduce energy costs by approximately $278,000 per year and lower carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1.5 million lb annually. The Capstone turbines replaced old, high-emission reciprocating engines that had operated since 1988.
For years, the wastewater treatment plant flared waste methane gas produced during the treatment process. According to Capstone, methane has a greenhouse impact on the atmosphere 21 times that of carbon dioxide.
"City of York officials understand the benefits of low-emission microturbine technology, especially when used in a combined heat and power or peak shaving application," said Jim Crouse, Capstone's executive vice president of sales and marketing. "For the CHP system, they'll likely experience energy efficiencies that exceed 80%, which means significantly reduced energy costs. The highly reliable C1000 they'll use for demand response and peak shaving will provide even lower energy costs while ensuring round-the-clock power availability onsite."
According the Capstone, the C600 and C1000 Power Packages are 600 kW and 1 MW power systems configured in compact ISO-size containers that provide the same low emissions, low noise, high efficiency and extended maintenance benefits of Capstone's C30, C65 and C200 offerings. They feature Capstone's patented air bearing, remote monitoring and diagnostic capabilities, and integrated utility synchronization and protection.
Source: GlobeNewswire
