The peaking project corresponds with the expansion of Mastronardi Produce’s Coldwater greenhouses by 28.8 acres to grow peppers, and GE’s natural gas-fueled engines will be supplied by Inland Power Group for the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities (CBPU) to produce 13 megawatts (MW) of peak power generation.
The project also will provide the capability for the CBPU to partner with Mastronardi Produce to supply carbon dioxide (CO2) and heat for the greenhouse.
During a groundbreaking ceremony for the new plant today, CBPU and Inland Power Group’s leaders explained their selection of three of GE’s Jenbacher J624 two-stage gas engines as an excellent replacement for Coldwater’s diesel units, which were removed by the city over the past two years.
The new engines will provide enough electricity to power the equivalent of 13,000 American homes, and for maximum efficiency, the plant also will have the ability to use captured heat and CO2 from the engines to help grow the greenhouse’s vegetables. This innovative process is known as combined heat and power (CHP) and has been successfully implemented at other greenhouses across the globe.
"We are excited to begin construction on this new facility to help power the city of Coldwater and support our mission of providing cost-effective and reliable electric service to our customers," said Director Paul Beckhusen, CBPU. "I look forward to this new natural gas-fueled plant to start operating next year as we diversify our energy generation portfolio and provide a unique opportunity to support Michigan’s growth in greenhouse agriculture."
Michigan’s agricultural sector contributes $91.4 billion dollars to the state economy, and more than 923,000 people are employed in the industry.
To help maintain the agricultural industry’s success year-round, the new plant is expected to be operational in mid-2015 — just in time for the fall season’s colder weather to set in and when traditional vegetable growing becomes nearly impossible. Greenhouses can grow vegetables all year without issue and provide much needed sustainability for both local and state agricultural industries during the winter months.
Inland Power Group (IPG), an authorized distributor for GE’s distributed power products in the Midwestern United States, will oversee the engineering and configuration support for CBPU.
In addition to supplying the engines, GE will support integration of the plant’s equipment with the greenhouse. GE has a successful history of developing CHP projects for greenhouses worldwide with more than 1,000 engines of similar configurations delivered today.
"For more than 50 years, we have been proud to call the Midwest our home, and we are thrilled to work with CBPU and MSCPA on bringing high-efficiency power to the area of Coldwater," said Jon Going, director of sales for Jenbacher gas engines at Inland Power Group. "We are proud to have been selected for this project and look forward to providing GE’s latest distributed power technology as a new solution for peak power demand."
"We believe that our CHP technology is an excellent choice for greenhouses globally, and we appreciate CBPU and MSCPA including us as part of their vision for energy and environmental leadership in Coldwater," said Darryl Wilson, chief commercial officer of GE’s Distributed Power business. "Our experience in CHP solutions, coupled with Inland Power Group’s executional rigor, will help to give the community of Coldwater a power generation facility it can be proud of."
