Power Supply Expansion at the Bergen County Utilities Authority

The Bergen County Utilities Authority (BCUA) is a wastewater treatment facility that occupies 488,880 m2 (120 acres) of land in Bergen County, New Jersey. The BCUA wanted to expand its power supply to accommodate the increasing amounts of wastewater being pumped to the plant for processing. Initially the facility considered a new cogeneration plant, but eventually decided to undergo an energy efficiency retrofit. This retrofit reduced its energy needs and thus effectively expanded its existing capacity at less cost than the cogeneration option. SYCOM Enterprises and its engineering contractor Stone & Webster, Inc. developed a plan primarily based on a fuel switch. They replaced one of the base-load electric motors used to drive the aeration blowers with natural gas engines and added a new engine blower set. The three remaining electric motors became the backup to the gas engines. After a comprehensive energy audit, SYCOM identified other opportunities to reduce the BCUA's energy consumption. The new natural gas engines could be powered by methane gas, the principal by-product of the wastewater treatment process. In addition, the heat from these engines could replace the facility's boilers.

Technical Data

This project is one of the first to employ a direct drive (as opposed to cogeneration) application based on a waste gas driven engine. The direct drive application has greatly reduced the need to purchase fuel. Natural gas is used as a secondary fuel source when there is not enough methane waste gas produced. The electric motors remain as backup and are used only if a gas engine is being serviced.

Energy Data

SYCOM's design saved 2300 kW per year.

Environmental Data

The methane gas by-product of the BCUA, previously released as an environmental pollutant, is now cleaned and then used to drive the gas engine. This process has reduced NOX and sulfur emissions in an amount sufficient for the project to qualify for emission reduction credits in New Jersey.

Economic Data

BCUA saves about USD 942,300 per year. Since SYCOM used Public Service Gas & Electric's payments under their demand-side management program, the BCUA received the capital improvement at no cost and kept all of the energy cost savings from the beginning.

Contacts:

Stone & Webster Inc. Ronald Carle Box 2703 New York, New York 10116 212-290-6022 212-290-7094 (Fax)	Bergen County Utilities Authority Ed Stevens Foot of Merhoffstreet Little Ferry, NJ 07643 201-807-5841 201-807-0507 (Fax)
SYCOM Enterprises Chris Bitters 109L Corporate Boulevard South Plainfield, NJ 07080 732-748-9600 732-748-9640 (Fax)

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