Capstone Microturbines Creating CHP Distributed Energy for Minnesota City's Wastewater Plant
The city of Winona, Minnesota, is doubling its energy resiliency for critical municipal operations by adding two gas-fired microturbines to power its wastewater treatment plant.
Distributor Vergent Power has secured an order for two Capstone Green Energy C65 ICHP microturbines and a Vergent controller. The new CHP system is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of April.
The city of Winona has utilized Capstone technology for more than 15 years, with an existing C65 microturbine that has surpassed 100,000 hours of runtime. The expansion project will replace the aging unit.
Last year, Winona city leaders announced a long-term spending plan which included $33 million to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant. The city has more than 25,000 residents and is home to companies such as Badger Equipment and Bay State Milling.
The Capstone CHP system uses the facility’s digester gas as a renewable biofuel to generate electricity for the facility’s consumption. The Capstone CHP’s exhaust energy will be recovered by converting it to hot water, which is used to support the digester process heating loads.
“The positive experience we’ve had with Capstone microturbines made it an easy decision to expand our system,” said Brian DeFrang, P.E., Public Works Director and City Engineer for the city of Winona, in a statement. “The new equipment allows us to maximize the use of our digester gas while reducing our reliance on external energy sources. Taking advantage of the tax credit and grant before the programs ended was crucial in making this project affordable for our community. We’re proud to lead by example in demonstrating how wastewater treatment facilities can operate more sustainably and efficiently.”
The CHP application reduces the facility’s reliance on natural gas and provides resiliency as well as minimizes its carbon footprint. The city covered over 90% of the project’s costs with the federal Tax Credit (ITC) and a Department of Energy Industrial Training and Assessment Center Implementation Grant.
