Inland Empire Utilities Agency Adding Fuel Cells To Its Renewable Energy Portfolio
Dedicates 2.8 Megawatt Fuel Cell Largest Fuel Cell Operating on Digester Gas in the U.S.
A 2.8 megawatt fuel cell power plant, owned and operated by Anaergia Services – a division of Anaergia Inc. recently came on-line at the Inland Empire Utilities Agency’s (IEUA) Water Recycling Plant located in Ontario, California. Installation of the fuel cell plant assists IEUA with implementing its renewable energy program and removes a significant risk factor regarding compliance with any future changes to clean air regulations.
Digester gas has historically been used at IEUA’s treatment plant to provide a fuel for cogeneration engines that provided energy to other processes within the facility. However, since regulatory requirements regarding power generation emissions continue to become more stringent, IEUA entered into a private-public partnership with Anaergia to efficiently convert the waste biogas into ultra-clean electricity.
Anaergia designed, built, financed, owns and operates the 2.8 MW (Megawatt) renewable energy facility under a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with IEUA. The RP-1 Water Recycling Facility, which can treat up to 44 million gallons a day of wastewater, purchases base load power from Anaergia to offset approximately 60% of the grid power previously used by the facility to treat wastewater. This provides a reliable power source at predefined and competitively priced rates that generate long term cost savings.
“IEUA is proud to expand its already successful renewable energy program with the addition of a biogas powered fuel cell system” said Terry Catlin, President of the IEUA Board. “The fuel cell allows IEUA to move closer to its strategic energy plan goal to go “Gridless by 2020” with almost no capital outlay by the Agency,” said Catlin. “Our plan is to minimize IEUA’s dependency on energy purchased from the grid, and to be able to operate completely off the grid during peak energy usage periods.”
“The RP-1 Fuel Cell Project with IEUA is a world class example of how energy self-sufficiency can be obtained by generating renewable and cost effective electricity onsite under a power purchase agreement,” said Steve Watzeck, CEO of Anaergia Inc. “This project has a lasting and positive impact on the area by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District and providing long term electricity cost savings to the Agency. Anaergia is pleased to be a part of IEUA’s renewable energy portfolio and contribute to their goal of energy self-sufficiency by 2020.”
IEUA, formed in 1950, is a municipal water district located in western San Bernardino County, California. IEUA’s mission is to supply imported drinking water, collect and treat wastewater, produces beneficially reusable compost and high quality recycled water to the 850,000 residents living within its 242-square miles service area.
Anaergia Services, a division of Anaergia Inc. develops, owns, operates, and finances renewable energy projects with a specialty on biogas production and conversion to electricity and heat. Anaergia Inc. is trusted at over 1,600 plants globally to convert a variety of waste streams into renewable energy, fertilizer and clean water.
FuelCell Energy, Inc., is a global leader in providing ultra-clean base load distributed generation to utilities, industrial operations, universities, municipal water treatment facilities, government installations and other customers around the world. The Company’s power plants have generated more than one billion kilowatt hours of ultra-clean power using a variety of fuels including renewable biogas from wastewater treatment and food processing, as well as clean natural gas.
Source: Inland Empire Utilities Agency