Borough of South River, New Jersey
Alt
Alternative
ti Energy
E
& Conservation
C
ti Committee
C
itt
Energy Production Analysis
Crea ing Clean/Green
Energy Independence
July 23th., 2009
Version 1.6.5
Purpose
• Investigate,
g , evaluate and recommend energy
gy p
production
solutions to the Borough Council for municipal, commercial
and residential use.
2
Alternative Energy & Conservation
C
Committee
i
M b
Members
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
William England,
g
, Chairman –
Joe Hranowski, Vice Chairman
Gordon Anthony, Secretary
James Maiello
Marilyn Melony
Ken Semanovitch
S
William Synek
Jim Hutchison
Hutchison, Borough Council
Representative
3
South River Borough’s
E
Energy
Production
P d ti Environment
E i
t
•
•
South River, unlike most municipalities in New Jersey, has its own
electric utility that controls the electric distribution system within the
Borough.
South River is one of eight municipalities (Public Power Association of
New Jersey, PPANJ) in New Jersey that control their electric distribution
system.
• Because South River does not generate it’s own
electricit it m
electricity
must
st p
purchase,
rchase on the open electric
marketplace with the other members of the
PPANJ, the electricity it needs to run the town.
• Marketplace purchases are expensive and costs
are unpredictable because of marketplace
fluctuations at the time of contract renewals.
4
South River Borough’s
E
Energy
Production
P d i Environment
E i
Given:
Gi
•
•
•
•
The increasing demand for electrical power in NJ and the lack new NJ
generation capacity in many years.
The availability of a market for energy production (both in town and
through the Public Power Assoc. of NJ).
The potential revenue to the Borough from producing power for the
electric grid.
South River has a strong economic incentive to explore the generation of
our own electric power.
5
South River’s
E
Energy
Production
P d i Options
O i
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Coal
C
Coal Gasification
Natural Gas
Nuclear
Bio-fuels
Tidal
Geothermal
Solar
Wind
6
NJ Power Generation
Cost Assumptions ($2008)
$
(Source: NJ Energy Master Plan 2008)
O e g t
Overnight
Installed Cost
($/kW)
Min
Max
Variable
Operation
Ope
at o &
Maintenance
Cost ($/MWh)
Min
Max
Fixed
ed Operation
Ope at o
& Maintenance
Cost ($/kW-yr)
Min
Max
Heat
Rate
ate
(MMBt
u/kWh)
Capacity
Factors
-
Min
Conventional Coal
$2,300
Gasified Coal -Integrated Gas
Combined Cycle (IGCC)
Advanced Combined Cycle
(Gas & Steam)
Gas Turbine
$3,000
$900
$600
$2,800
$4,500
$1,050
$800
$3.50
$6.50
$2.00
$3.50
$5.50
$7.50
$3.00
$6.00
$24.00
$35.00
$6.50
$6.50
$35.00
$45.00
$13.00
$8.50
9,000
Determined
by model
8,350
Determined
by model
6,875
Determined
by model
10,750
Determined
by model
Determined
by model
Nuclear
$4,500
$7,000
$0.65
$1.50
$80.00
$120.00
10,400
Combined Heat & Power
(CHP) (3-25 MW)**
w/out Chillers
$1,000
$1,500
$4.00
$6.50
$30.00
$45.00
10,000
80%
7
NJ Power Generation
Cost Assumptions ($2008)
$
(Source: NJ Energy Master Plan 2008)
Overnight
Installed Cost
($/kW)
Variable
Operation &
Maintenance
Cost ($/MWh)
Fixed Operation
& Maintenance
Cost ($/kW-yr)
Heat
Rate
(MMBt
u/kWh)
Capacity
Factors
Min
Max
Min
Max
Min
Max
-
Min
Combined Heat & Power
(CHP) (3-25 MW)**
w/ Chillers
$2,000
$2,000
$4.00
$6.50
$30.00
$45.00
10,000
80%
Wind On-shore
$2,000
$2,500
$1.00
$2.00
$30.00
$45.00
n/a
32%
Wind Off-shore
$3,100
$4,100
$1.00
$2.00
$50.00
$100.00
n/a
34%
Biomass
$2 500
$2,500
$3 500
$3,500
$2 00
$2.00
$4 00
$4.00
$50 00
$50.00
$60 00
$60.00
14 250
14,250
85%
Solar
$5,000
$8,000
$0.00
$1.00
$11.00
$12.00
n/a
13.5%
8
Natural Gas
Advantages:
•
•
•
Natural gas is the cleanest of the carbon based fuels. While coal is less
expensive, the lack of environmental support for new coal based power
generation makes it not feasible in New Jersey.
Major Transco Gas Line runs through Dep’t
Dep t of Public Works property on
Ivan Way.
Ivan Way location on South River advantageous for power plant
operation and cooling.
•
•
•
Five acre site adequate for a small power plant
footprint. South River has a relatively small 24MW
electrical system.
Significant revenue potential for the borough
through the sale of electricity into the grid.
Natural Gas plentiful in North America limiting
potential for shortages over the next 25 years - the
average life
lif off a plant.
l t
9
Natural Gas
Advantages:
g
•
•
Membership in the Public Power Association of New Jersey (consortium
of 8 municipalities that own their own electric utilities) provides market
for energy generation and potential borrowing capacity to fund
construction.
t ti
A major power company approached South River last year about
constructing a plant on our Ivan Way site. South River was one of the
two sites identified in New Jersey for a plant
plant.
•
Advanced Combined Cycle (Gas & Steam) or
combined heat and power technology has potential to
significantly increase operating efficiency and lower
costs.
10
Natural Gas
Disadvantages:
•
•
•
•
NIMBY concerns of the residents. Some residents may fear the effect a
power plant would have on property values and public safety.
Natural Gas, although plentiful in North America, is a diminishing
resource that could result in shortages and spikes in the cost to produce
the electricity.
Regulatory approval for such a plant may be difficult.
Federal carbon tax proposals may make natural gas power plants less
fi
financially
i ll attractive.
tt ti
• South River and it’s partners in the Public Power
Association of NJ, may have difficulty raising the
p
to construct the p
power p
plant.
capital
11
Natural Gas
Disadvantages:
•
•
South River and it’s partners in the Public Power Association of NJ
would have to partner with a power company, or hire a strong consulting
firm to assist in the regulatory approval, construction and operation of a
power plant. This reduces the potential profit from this plant to the
Borough and the Association.
The Department of Public Works would have to be relocated to make
room for the new power plant.
12
Natural Gas
Conclusion:
•
South River administration should work with other members of the
Public Power Association of NJ to explore the feasibility of working with
a major
j utility
y or themselves to construct a g
gas fueled electric p
power
plant on the Ivan Way property.
13
Micro-Nuclear
Micro
Nuclear Power Basics
• Small reactor, self-contained in a cylindrical enclosure 1.5 meters in
diameter (about the size of a residential hot tub).
• Unit is encased in concrete containment shell buried completely
underground and dug up when refueling is indicated (5-10 years).
• Entirely self-regulating. Maintains thermal equilibrium at maximum
operating temperature.
• Meltdown is impossible because reactor has a
negative temperature of reactivity. Above 800
degrees Celsius, the moderator decomposes and
the reaction stops.
• No maintenance within the containment is
necessary by end-user.
14
Micro-Nuclear
Micro
Nuclear Power Basics
• Power generation is 70 megawatts thermal and 25 megawatts electric
using
i external
t
l steam
t
tturbine
bi and
d generator.
t
• Fuel is uranium metal enriched to ~5% U235, civil grade, solid phase,
granular. This is essentially enriched uranium metal that has absorbed
a large amount of hydrogen.
hydrogen
• The reaction is moderated by uranium hydride (UH3) formed by
reaction of uranium granules with gaseous hydrogen within the core.
• Passive heat pipes transfer heat from the reactor
core to a heat exchanger containing circulating
coolant outside of the core but within containment.
• Heat
H t can be
b extracted
t t d from
f
the
th coolant
l t to
t
generate steam and drive the turbine-generator.
• Manufacturer: Hyperion Power Generation
15
Micro-Nuclear Power
Simplified Diagram
16
Micro-Nuclear
Micro
Nuclear Power
Advantages:
• Clean energy. No greenhouse gases to contribute to climate change
problems.
p
form of energy
gy in terms of dollars and environmental
• The cheapest
impact.
• Extremely reliable. Available 24/7, rain or shine, windy or calm.
• Can provide electricity for about 20
20,000
000 average size American homes
homes.
The borough could benefit by providing excess power to the distribution
grid.
17
Micro-Nuclear
Micro
Nuclear Power
Disadvantages:
• NIMBY concerns of the residents. Some residents may fear that a
nuclear reactor is dangerous and would have a large negative effect
on property values and public safety.
safety
• Reactor must still be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
No guarantee license will be approved.
• No performance record. First unit is planned for shipment in 2013.
18
Micro-Nuclear
Micro
Nuclear Power
Financials:
Fi
i l
• Expected cost of the unit is $25-30M.
• It is difficult to calculate payback of a Micro-Nuclear power
i t ll ti att this
installation
thi point.
i t It would
ld mostt likely
lik l b
be att least
l
t 10 years.
19
Micro-Nuclear
Micro
Nuclear Power
Conclusion:
• The status of this technology should be monitored. In the next few
years, if successful Micro-Nuclear installations are demonstrated,
South River should consider investing in this type of power generation.
20
Renewable Bio-Fuels
Bio Fuels
•
•
•
•
Foods, grasses, organic waste and food oils are made from
hydrocarbons that when broken down and separated provide a
renewable source of fuel that can be used to run micro-turbine
generators to produce electricity or combustion engines.
Unlike oil and natural gas this fuel is renewable.
South River produced 7,438 tons of garbage waste in 2008 costing
South River $419,078 in landfill tipping fees.
Industry experts estimate that 30%-40% of the waste is food and other
organic waste.
21
Common Renewable Bio-Fuels
Bio Fuels
•
•
Methane Gas - Produced from food, food oils and organic waste
processed through an Anaerobic Digester. Enzymes breakdown the
organic material and produce methane gas and other by-products.
Biodiesel – Produced from food, organic waste and waste oils through
a chemical process that separates the hydrocarbons and mixes them
with alcohol producing biodiesel and glycerol.
22
Anaerobic Digestion
•
•
•
Use food and organic waste (grass clippings, wood chips, paper,
agricultural waste
waste, grease/oils and biocrops) to use as feed stock to
process through a digester that creates biogas to sell as fuel or burn to
create electricity.
Appropriate for large commercial organizations (food processing
companies,
i
universities,
i
iti
and
d municipalities
i i liti th
thatt h
have access tto llarge
quantities of organic waste.
Private companies are approaching municipalities to create
public/private
p
p
p
partnerships
p to construct renewable-fuel g
gas digesters.
g
23
Anaerobic Digestion Process
24
Anaerobic Digestion
Advantages For Municipalities:
•
•
•
•
Processing municipal food and organic waste (30-40% of municipal
waste) through a digester could eliminate or significantly reduce landfill
tipping fees for this waste.
The methane gas output could be sold directly or burned to run a turbine
that provides electrical power for the town and heat for nearby buildings
buildings.
The Digester process also produces heat that powers a turbine that runs
the digester itself.
g
also p
produces a saleable fertilizer output.
p
The Digester
•
•
Significant state grants are available to fund this
process.
y small and effective air
Plant size is relatively
purifying systems eliminate outside odors.
25
Anaerobic Digestion
Disadvantages For Municipalities:
•
•
•
South River does not have the expertise to set up and run a plant
without help from private industry.
The cost of construction is significant; $1,000,000 to $7,000,000
depending on the size of the plant.
P i t companies
Private
i generally
ll provide
id the
th bulk
b lk off the
th fi
financing
i ffor llarger
plants but also participate in the profits.
South River must produce enough feedstock itself or gather feedstock
p
from other municipalities.
• Residents would have to separate food and
organic waste for either a separate pick-up or
garbage trucks would have to be refitted to
separate food and organic waste from other
waste.
• Regulatory approval needed for any plan (County,
EPA).
• Potential
P
i l llocall opposition
i i to the
h planned
l
d site.
i
26
Anaerobic Digestion
Implementation Options:
•
•
Commercial Partnership – The Borough
Boro gh partners with
ith a commercial
company specializing in setting up these plants. The private company
can raise the entire capital and retain the profits, with the town receiving
property tax revenue for the donated land and a reduction in tipping
fees, or the town can provide funding (up to 49%) to also participate in
the profits.
Non-Commercial – The Borough finances and manages the process
entirely on its own, retaining all the potential profit and assuming all the
risk.
27
Anaerobic Digestion
Advantages
g of a commercial partnership:
p
p
•
•
A strong Commercial partner provides the expertise to navigate the
regulatory process and insures the cost effective construction and
operation of the plant.
The borough controls how much of the financial risk and participation in
the profits (up to a maximum of 49%) it would like to take.
28
Anaerobic Digestion
Disadvantages of a commercial partnership:
•
The minimum size plant a commercial provider needs to be profitable
i a 10
is
10,000
000 tton ffacility.
ilit Thi
This plant
l t size
i requires
i
ffood
d and
d organic
i
waste generated by 40,000 people. Since South River’s population is
only 15,000, we would need to coordinate any plant development with
a neighboring town so we could guarantee the feedstock supply.
•
Initially, we hoped to locate the plant in South River. However, to run a
gas digester plant we need a minimum of three acres of available land.
Unfortunately, after significant investigation over the last year, South
River only has 2.1 acres of available land for commercial purposes.
•
Participation with a commercial enterprise eliminates
the possibility of the borough raising tax free capital.
29
Anaerobic Digestion
Advantages of a non-commercial initiative:
•
•
•
The technology for this process is not overly complicated and could be
purchased.
There are smaller digesters that could be purchased that could handle
the waste output generated by South River alone
alone. A 5
5,000
000 ton facility
could process the food and organic waste of a 15,000-20,000 person
community.
Without the need to generate a profit for the private partner breakeven
points are significantly reduced.
•
•
Without a commercial partner the borough can
raise
i ttax free
f
capital.
it l
A smaller plant means a smaller footprint that may
fit into our available land.
30
Anaerobic Digestion
Disadvantages of a non-commercial initiative:
•
A consultant may have to be hired to help the town through this project
project.
This lack of expertise in constructing and running this type of plant could
result in costly construction over runs or lower production output.
•
South River may have difficulty raising the capital to construct this facility.
31
Anaerobic Digestion
Financials:
•
•
The consultant we spoke with concerning a private/public partnership
indicated that a 10,000 ton facility would generate income, including
tipping fees, of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000.
With operating margins of 25% - 40% it would take four to ten years to
payback the initial investment depending on the size of the plant, cost of
capital and other factors.
32
Anaerobic Digestion
Conclusions:
•
•
With all the limitations of a commercial partnership and space availability
i
issues,
b
building
ildi a llarge plant
l t iin S
South
th Ri
River d
does nott appear ffeasible.
ibl
However, it may be very cost effective for the Borough to build a noncommercial small plant to handle it’s own organic waste and possibly
g
g town.
that of a small neighboring
33
Biodiesel
•
•
•
Clean burning alternative fuel made of renewable resources (waste
vegetable oil, plant oils, animal fats, etc)
In its pure form, biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended
with petroleum diesel
Not the same as ethanol, and is not raw vegetable oil
34
Biodiesel
Advantages:
g
•
•
•
Biodiesel blends can be used in most diesel engines with little or no
modification
Produces less greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur
dioxide, and ozone-forming hydrocarbons) emissions
Exhaust is cleaner than petro diesel exhaust (which contains over 30
different known carcinogenic chemicals)
• More biodegradable than petro diesel
• NJ has a biodiesel fuel rebate program for
municipalities that offsets the higher cost of biodiesel
• Can be used as a vehicle fuel and home heating oil
• Smells more like french fries than diesel exhaust
35
Biodiesel
Disadvantages:
g
•
•
•
•
Higher cost than petro diesel
Cannot make our own from restaurant waste vegetable oil. Must be
mixed with dangerous, highly caustic materials, processed, and stored
Not as readily available as petro diesel
May not perform as well in cold weather
36
Biodiesel
Conclusion:
•
The Borough should investigate switching from using petrodiesel to
biodiesel, and if there is a supplier nearby and we can apply for the
rebate and make the switch.
37
Tidal
•
•
Using the natural water currents of rivers, tides and manmade
channels power companies
channels,
companies, like Verdant Power (pilot project in NYC)
NYC),
construct underwater turbines (similar to underwater windmills) that
generate renewable and reliable clean energy that can flow directly into
the p
power g
grid.
The required river depth and current to use an underwater turbine
according to Verdant Power is 35 feet with a current of at least 2
meters p
per second ((6 ft/sec,, 4 knots).
) South River,, according
g to Chief
Bouthillette, is more than 35 feet deep.
•
Tidal turbines are assembled with internal yaw
bearings which allow the turbines to pivot with the
bearings,
changing tide and capture energy for the majority
of the day.
38
Tidal
•
•
•
Navigation aids mark the site of the turbines and they are boomed off
to recreational activities
activities, even though the tip of the underwater router is
5 to 7 feet below the river’s surface.
Turbines are designed to be installed and operated unattended. The
target service period is 2 years
years, with an overhaul at 10 years
years. On-site
service involves only a switch-out (remove and replace) operation.
Verdant Power’s NYC project assumes that 30 turbines would provide
the electrical power for 1
1,000
000 homes
homes.
39
Tidal Power Turbine
40
Tidal
Advantages:
•
•
•
•
Tidal Power produces clean green energy that saves our environment
and will earn green energy credits.
Simple modular turbine design makes installation relatively easy and
power has lower upfront
p
capital
p
costs.
cost effective. Tidal p
Turbine systems have few moving parts and this decreases operation
and maintenance costs.
Systems are underwater and therefore are invisible from the shore and
do not require dams,
dams impoundments or major civil works,
works they cause
minimal public and environmental impact.
41
Tidal
Advantages:
•
•
•
Water currents provide predictable, if not constant, source of renewable
energy. It is anticipated that river-based systems will achieve 80-90%
capacity factors, approximately, double those of wind and solar systems.
A
Accessible
ibl generation
ti near major
j population
l ti centers,
t
th
thatt iis scalable
l bl
depending on the size of the river, also eliminates the need for
transmission lines and thus is safer, more energy efficient and coste ect e
effective.
Low cost process based on automatic control and continuous,
unattended operation.
42
Tidal
Disadvantages:
g
•
•
•
•
New technology still in demonstration phase in New York City. Full
commercialization of the process probably 3-5 years away.
Multiple demonstration failures raises concerns about ultimate
installation and maintenance costs.
Small river space available in South River limits ability to produce large
quantities of power through this source.
P t ti l negative
Potential
ti environmental
i
t l iimpactt tto fi
fish
h and
d bi
birds
d may result
lt iin
difficult regulatory approval.
43
Tidal
Conclusion:
•
This emerging technology should be thoroughly researched in the next
few years, and after successful installations in a number of other
communities South River should consider investing in tidal power
g
generation.
44
Geothermal Basics
•
•
Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHP) use liquid filled underground or
underwater
d
b
based
d coils
il and
dab
building
ildi b
based
d conversion
i h
heat pump to
access the relatively constant temperature of the earth to heat and cool
homes and buildings.
Using no fuel or conventional boilers and furnaces a geothermal heat
pump uses electricity to move heat or coolness from the earth into
buildings, with 40% to 70% less energy than conventional systems.
45
Geothermal
Types of GHP Coil Systems
46
Geothermal
GHP components
Air-torefrigerant
fi
t
coil
Air filter
Conditioned air
(Supply)
Fan
Expansion
valve
Entering air
Water-torefrigerant
coil
Reversing
valve
Water loop
Compressor
Heat recovery coil
Power
47
Geothermal
Advantages:
g
•
•
Initial installation is several times higher than a similar air source
system but energy savings pay for system in 5-10 years.
Maintenance costs are generally less as systems last 25 years for
inside components and 50+ years outside for the ground loop. These
savings are even greater for commercial and municipal buildings like
schools whose traditional systems
y
need constant repair.
p
48
Geothermal
Advantages:
•
•
•
•
•
No above ground outdoor equipment.
– Improved aesthetics
– Reduced risk of vandalism
Q i t operation.
Quiet
ti
Reduced mechanical room space.
Individual room control.
Low source energy use and very low pollutant emissions
emissions.
•
30% Federal tax credit available for residential
government offers g
grants
installations. NJ State g
and incentives for businesses and municipal
governments.
49
Geothermal
Disadvantages:
g
•
•
•
Not all locations suitable for geothermal, locations requiring vertical or
horizontal bores may not have land suitable for drilling or excavation.
Upfront costs for installing a new system ($5
($5,000
000 - $12,000)
$12 000) may make
systems unaffordable.
Many homes would require additional renovation to install the ductwork necessary for this type of system.
system This could add significantly to
the cost.
50
Geothermal
Payback:
y
•
•
•
Residential – three to eight years for most systems without tax credits.
Commercial – two to three years without tax incentives or government
grants.
grants
Municipal – two to three years without government grants.
51
Geothermal
Conclusions:
•
•
Excellent technology capable of producing significant (40% to 70%)
long term heating and cooling savings for residential, commercial and
municipal
p buildings
g in South River.
Require a geothermal cost benefit analysis on any new construction or
major renovation of Municipal, School, Commercial and Residential
buildings
g as a way
y to encourage
g energy
gy reduction in the borough.
g
52
Solar
•
•
•
Clean, renewable energy source, converts sunlight to electricity, which
can be used directly or stored in batteries so that electricity is provided
even on cloudy days or at night.
Solar panels can be mounted on rooftops, on poles, or on the ground.
Can be used for a variety of purposes, including:
– Solar Hot Water Systems
– Solar Electric Photo-Voltaic (PV) Systems
– Solar Lighting
•
•
NJ is second only to CA in solar energy
production in the USA.
New solar panel technology eliminates the
requirement that panels face South.
53
Solar
Advantages:
•
•
•
•
After initial investment is recovered (varies depending on energy usage)
usage),
very low cost to operate and maintain.
Many uses: heating water (household and pools), emergency backup
power lighting,
power,
lighting etc.
etc
Requires no fuel, has no greenhouse gas emissions.
Can be used in conjunction with other technologies (such as wind
turbines) for electricity production .
• Can be used to provide the electrical power
needed by other energy conservation products
(such as geothermal heating/cooling systems)
• Federal and State financial incentives for
Residential Commercial
Residential,
Commercial, and School solar
installations (NJ excludes Solar Hot Water)
54
Solar
Disadvantages:
•
•
High initial cost of installation
installation. Solar hot water system: $2000-4000
$2000-4000.
Solar PV system: $8000-10,000 for a 1kW system.
Depending on the type of installation, payback period can be long (10+
years for Solar PV) or short (3-4 years for Solar Hot Water).
Water) Payback
period also dependant on cost of fossil fuels, local climate, size of the
system, type of structure being heated/powered, etc.
• No (or little) power generated if there are several
consecutive cloudy days or solar panels are dirty or
snow covered. Can be offset through use of larger
battery storage systems.
systems
• Large amount of area needed for solar panels. A
1kW system will generate 750-1600 kWh per year
but requires about 100sq ft of installation area
area.
Note: 1 kWh is the power needed to light a 100 watt
55
bulb for 10 hours.
Solar
Potential Uses: Municipal
p
•
•
•
•
Security lighting for municipal parks/fields and facilities (esp. DPW)
Street/Bridge lighting
Supplemental emergency power for facilities and infrastructure (such as
traffic lights)
Hot water systems for municipal facilities and schools
• As a power source for other energy
production/conservation technologies (such as
anaerobic digester,
g
micro turbines, and
geothermal heating/cooling systems)
56
Solar
Potential Uses: Residential/Commercial
•
•
•
•
Outdoor/security lighting
Water heating (whole building and pools)
Backup power source (such as for fire/security systems)
As a power source for other energy production/conservation technologies
(such as micro turbines or geothermal heating/cooling systems)
57
Wind Power Basics
•
The conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as electricity,
using wind turbines. At the end of 2008, worldwide capacity of windpowered generators was 121.2 Gigawatts. Wind power produces about
1.5% of worldwide electricity use.
58
Wind
Advantages:
g
•
•
•
Wind energy is friendly to the surrounding environment, as no fossil
fuels are burnt to generate electricity from wind energy.
Wind turbines take up less space than the average power station
station.
Newer technologies are making the extraction of wind energy much
more efficient.
• Wi
Wind
d turbines
t bi
can b
be a range off diff
differentt sizes
i
iin
order to support varying population levels.
• When combined with solar electricity, this energy
source is
i greatt ffor developed
d
l
d and
dd
developing
l i
countries to provide a steady, reliable supply of
electricity.
59
Wind
Disadvantages:
g
•
•
•
The major challenge to using wind as a source of power is that the wind
is intermittent and it does not always blow when electricity is needed.
Good wind sites are often located in remote locations
locations, far from cities
where the electricity is needed.
Unfortunately, while individual local conditions may vary, wind studies
reveal Central NJ is not a good source for wind generation
generation.
• Although wind power plants have relatively
little impact on the environment compared to
other conventional power plants, there is
some concern over the noise produced by
the rotor blades, aesthetic (visual) impacts.
• Possible zoning ordinances issues.
60
Wind Power Basics
NJ Wind Resources
South River &
S
Surrounding
di A
Areas
61
Wind
Financials:
•
•
•
Small wind energy systems cost from $3,000 to $6,000 for every
kilowatt of generating capacity, or about $40,000 for a system
((installed)) large
g enough
g to p
power a home.
As of 2007 an estimated 2,500 grid-connected, residential-scale
turbines (1-10kW) are currently being used in the U.S.
Most small turbines have only 2-3
2 3 moving parts and are designed for a
long life (20 - 30 years).
• Maintenance is very important factor and would
vary based on unit size. It is critical because
simple gear maintenance can avoid costly
repairs.
• Payback is based on many factors. The most
important being wind velocity and duration. 62
Wind
Conclusions:
•
•
Small Wind Turbine for municipal buildings could be added on taller
municipal structures within the town like the water towers.
Small Wind Turbine for the public school system is an ideal location
because of the open area associated with the campus and large
amount of roof space.
63
Wind Project Funding
•
•
What grants or incentives are available to defray the cost of a
small wind electric system?
As of March 2009, the federal government offers an investment tax
credit for the purchase and installation of qualifying small wind electric
systems, worth 30% of the value of the system. For details, please see
the Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit page in the Database of
State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) Web site.
•
•
•
The federal government also offers a Renewable
Electricity Production Tax Credit and Business Energy
Investment Tax Credit for larger, utility-scale wind power
installations.
installations
Additional incentives may be available at the state level;
visit the DSIRE database for more information.
Renewable Energy Incentive Programs are providing
rebate levels of $3.20 /kWh per 1-16,000 kWh
64
Production.
Micro Turbine Power
Basics:
• Provides on-site Municipal and Commercial (possibly residential)
electrical power and heat for primary or stand-by
stand by applications, thereby
reducing demand on the municipal electric grid.
• Consists of a turbine engine that creates electricity, solid-state power
electronics, fuel system,
y
and an indoor/outdoor-rated enclosure.
• Accepts most commercial fuels and renewable fuels such as natural gas,
biodiesel, biogas and flare gas.
• Rated power capacities from 10 kW to 1MW. Can be connected in
parallel to produce large amounts of power.
• Can be operated standalone or connected to a
grid.
• Compressor
C
i
impeller,
ll tturbine
bi rotor,
t and
d generator
t
rotor are mounted on a single shaft which
comprises the only moving part in the engine.
• Acoustic emissions at full load power: 65
65-70
70 dBA.
dBA
65
Micro Turbine Power
66
Micro Turbine Power
Advantages:
• O
On-site
it energy production
d ti reduces
d
d
demand
d on M
Municipal
i i l electric
l t i grid
id
during peak demand periods.
• Higher power density with respect to footprint and extremely efficient
with 80% efficiencies commonly achieved in co-generation systems.
systems
• Waste heat can be used for water heating, space heating, absorption
chillers for air- conditioning or additional power generation using a
separate waste heat turbine.
• If designed with foil bearings and air-cooling, can
operate without oil, coolants or other hazardous
materials.
• Uses most commercial and renewable fuels
(natural gas, bio-diesel, bio-gas, flare gas) while
producing extremely low emissions.
• Proven
P
t k record
track
d and
d extremely
t
l costt effective
ff ti
(one year payback)
67
Micro Turbine Power
Disadvantages:
• Slower to respond to changes in output power requirement than other
types of generators.
• High overall temperature of the system if exhaust heat is not used for
additional applications.
applications
• Although the noise level is not high, there may be objections by the
public if placement is close to a residential area.
68
Micro Turbine Power
Financials:
• Mi
Micro T
Turbines
bi
require
i smaller
ll capital
it l iinvestment
t
t th
than other
th ttypes off
power generation. Installation can be implemented in several weeks to
a few months. Based on the application, installing a Capstone Micro
Turbine energy solution would provide electric power at an
approximate variable operating cost of $0.035 / kWh. This could result
in a payback of 1.02 years on the investment.
• For additional savings, you can take the waste heat
from the Capstone Micro Turbine to run through an
Infinity Turbine IT10 which will give an additional 10
kw of electricity. Depending on the configuration of
the heat exchangers, it may be possible to also
capture waste heat from the cascade effect of the
turbines and use that for hot water or process heat
heat.
69
Micro Turbine Power
Conclusion:
• Th
The borough
b
h should
h ld actively
ti l iinvestigate
ti t th
the use off Micro
Mi
T
Turbines
bi
i
in
Municipal and Commercial settings to produce added capacity power
generation using natural gas, biodiesel, or biogas to supply peak
loading or to reduce the cost of purchased power
power.
70