Ridgewood Renewable Power announces the approval today of a new development project that will expand its renewable energy power generation at the Olinda Alpha Landfill in Brea, California from the current five megawatts to a total of 35 megawatts. The Landfill is owned and operated by OC Waste & Recycling. The Landfill was first opened in 1960.
The $65 MM project is a state-of-the-art combined cycle plant fueled by landfill gas generated by the natural decomposition of solid waste. The new project will make use of landfill gas that cannot currently be converted to electricity in the existing facility. Landfill gas consists of about 50% methane, which is a powerful contributor to global warming. Harnessing the gas to generate power minimizes the effect on global warming.
The renewable power plant will consist of four combustion turbine generators each of which will be equipped with heat recovery steam generators feeding a single steam turbine generator. The combustion turbines will be manufactured in Southern California by Solar Turbines, Inc., which is headquartered in San Diego.
The new plant will produce enough electricity to supply 20,000 homes and, together with the existing 5 MWs of generation at the Olinda Alpha Landfill, will be capable of generating 35 MW of electricity. It will be the second largest landfill gas-to-electric generating facility in the United States. Because the decomposition of waste occurs naturally 24/7, the production of landfill gas is constant and predicable. Since the power plant is projected to run at full output 96% of the time, each year it will produce the energy equivalent of almost 100 megawatts of solar photovoltaic generation.
In addition to achieving the highest level of cycle efficiency, the new plant will also pioneer the most advanced landfill gas emissions control technologies available in the market.
Ridgewood Renewable Power has entered into a long-term agreement to sell the output of the plant to the neighboring City of Anaheim Public Utilities. With this agreement residents of Anaheim will now power their homes with electricity generated by refuse that originated in Anaheim.
In July 2003, Anaheim Public Utilities adopted a Renewable Portfolio Standard thereby committing to increase the amount of renewable energy in the resource mix. Anaheim's resource goal is to have a minimum of 20% renewable resources by 2015, of which Ridgewood's Olinda project will be a significant part.
Ridgewood has already filed applications for the air permit with South Coast Air Quality Management District and for the interconnection with Southern California Edison. It is anticipated that the plant will be on-line in the first quarter of 2010.