Renewable Energy Distributed Generation

Calabasas Landfill 3 Solar Mercury 50 Gas Turbine-Generator Landfill Gas Fuels 10 MW of "Green Power" to Southern California

5300 Lost Hills Road Agoura, California 91301 Background Due to soil conditions and collection requirements at the Calabasas Landfill, the methane content of the landfill gas has historically been too low for cost-effective power production by existing power production technologies. In 2004, Solar Turbines, Inc., (Solar) introduced the low-emission, high-efficiency Mercury 50 turbine-generators for the natural gas market. Sanitation Districts’ engineers recognized the potential of this unit for landfill gas applications, and persuaded Solar’s application personnel to develop a model of the Mercury 50 that could be fired on landfill gas. Project analyses indicated that a commercially viable plant could be developed, and the design of a project was initiated. Landfill The Calabasas Landfill is located on 505 acres with 416 acres designated for refuse disposal. The landfill is owned by Los Angeles County and operated by the Sanitation Districts. The landfill began operation in 1961 and has an excess of 20 million tons of refuse in place. The landfill has an expected remaining life of 30 years at the present disposal rate of 850 tons per day. Power Generation The Sanitation Districts developed, designed, and constructed the power project known as the Calabasas Gas-to-Energy Facility (Facility) to be located at the Calabasas Landfill. The project will be among the first commercial installations of the Solar Mercury 50 gas turbine on low BTU landfill gas. The landfill is active and produces approximately 5,600 scfm of landfill gas at 32% methane. The Facility will consist of three Solar Mercury 50 gas turbine-generator (CTG) sets, 13.8 kV AC, 60 Hz, 3-phase each rated at 4.6 MW output (gross). The three CTG’s will be based loaded and are expected to produce up to 10 MW (net) of electricity that will be sold to other Sanitation Districts’ facilities and/or the California Independent System Operator grid through the Southern California Edison (SCE) distribution system under a power purchase agreement. Power is delivered to SCE’s system at 16kV voltage. The total capital cost of the project was $38 million including $2.5 million to Los Angeles County for gas rights. Estimated operating and maintenance costs are $0.04 /kw-hr. Benefits The Facility is anticipated to provide stable, low cost power to Sanitation Districts’ facilities and/or to the utility grid system under power purchase agreements beginning in the summer of 2010. Substantial revenues and electricity savings for the Sanitation Districts should continue for 20 or more years. The environmental benefits include a reduction of greenhouse emissions. Total air emissions are expected to be less than half the emissions from the landfill gas flares.