Bowerman Power opens renewable energy facility
Published by Francesca Brindle,
Editorial Assistant
Hydrocarbon Engineering,
Orange County 3rd District Supervisor, Todd Spitzer, has joined with government, business, and project development officials for a ceremonial ribbon cutting to open the Bowerman Power project renewable energy facility.
The landfill gas to electricity plant at the Frank R. Bowerman landfill, east of Irvine, will power thousands of local homes and businesses in Anaheim, California, generate millions of dollars in royalties for the county government system, and provide other environmental and economic benefits.
"The Bowerman Power facility keeps the county moving in the right direction with additional green energy. Powering this plant adds 160 000 MW-hrs/y to the grid, which is enough energy to power 26 000 homes. That brings the total production at Orange County's landfills up to 380 000 MW-hrs that is enough power for the households in Brea, Placentia, and Yorba Linda," said Supervisor Todd Spitzer, whose 3rd District includes the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill.
The US$60 million, 113 000 ft2, state of the art facility occupies 2.6 acres of the 725 acre Bowerman Landfill, one of the largest on the West Coast. Financed by Caterpillar Financial Services (Cat Financial), the project was developed, and is owned and operated, by Bowerman Power, a subsidiary of Pennsylvania-based Montauk Energy.
It generates electric power by capturing landfill gas created by the millions of tons of waste buried at Bowerman. A natural byproduct of solid waste decomposition, the gas contains high amounts of methane, a prevalent greenhouse gas. The operation will also prevent approximately 53 000 tpy of CO2 emissions.
The Bowerman Power project is the first to combine three proven technologies in a state of the art renewable energy project meeting all environmental requirements. It is the largest landfill gas fuelled reciprocating engine project in California and Montauk's largest power project to date. Moreover, with the completion of this project, all large landfills in California now operate landfill gas-based, renewable energy plants.
"This is the largest project of its kind utilising landfill gas that combines gas feedstock cleanup, large scale Cat® reciprocating engine generators and selective catalytic reduction technology to meet the strict emission requirements here in Orange County," said Montauk CEO David Herrman. "The result is efficient operations with high online availability, coupled with the ample and steady gas supply from the landfill, to ensure reliable production of renewable energy and all its benefits 24 hours a day, 365 days a year."
This innovative green project was championed by Spitzer and won approval from the full Board of Supervisors in October 2014, after a previous agreement for the facility was revised and updated. Ground was broken in January 2015.
The Bowerman Power Project is Orange County's third landfill gas to energy facility. The other two are Olina (Brea) and Prima Deshecha (San Juan Capistrano). Together, the three facilities produce approximately 380 000 MW-hrs/y of electricity, enough to power approximately 56 000 homes in Southern California.
Adapted from press release by Francesca Brindle
Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/the-environment/30032016/bowerman-power-renewable-energy-facility-transforming-landfill-gas-to-electricity-2887/
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