Harnessing the Sun and Wind to Power a Treatment Plant

The Atlantic County Utilities Authority has taken two steps to insure energy independence into the future. With installation of solar panels and the construction of 5 windmills for electricity generation, the future energy needs of ACUA's 40 million gallon per day treatment plant will be assured.

"The combination of both solar and wind power is a first for New Jersey and promises a bright future for clean, renewable energy in New Jersey," said Trust Executive Director Dennis Hart. "The financing of a solar energy system is also a first for the Trust and we are hoping to find future uses for this innovative technology. It is an excellent example of how we can expand our low cost financing program into new areas," he said.

The new solar and wind electricity generation project will power the wastewater plant and supply electricity to more than 2,500 homes each year. The 500-kilowatt solar project is the second largest in the state. The wind farm will supply around 20 million kilowatt hours of emission-free electricity to the wastewater plant and to the regional power grid.

In addition to cost savings, there are significant environmental benefits solar and wind energy bring. The reduction in fossil fuel generated electricity needed will translate into an annual reduction of over 460,000 tons carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is the main gas associated with global warming.

There are two funding sources for this project. The solar project is financed by the Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program and the wind farm was funded through a long term lease and power purchase agreement. This agreement requires rental payments for the turbine sites to the ACUA and a promise by the ACUA to purchase all turbine-generated energy produced for running their plant. Since there will days when wind energy produced exceeds ACUA's needs, the excess will be sold back to the grid. On days with low winds, the authority will purchase power from the grid.

The solar energy portion consists of five photovoltaic arrays. Two are rooftop mounted, two are on the ground and 1 is mounted over the carport parking area. These five arrays consist of 2,700 modules that will produce enough energy to power approximately 80 homes and eliminate the need for 375 barrels of oil per year. All of this energy will be supplied to the ACUA wastewater treatment facility and offset some 2-3 % of the energy needed to power the facility.

The solar energy system cost $3.25 million dollars and was funded by a low interest loan from the New Jersey Environmental Trust and a $1.9 Million dollar rebate from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Office of Clean Energy. The resulting savings of $135,000 per year from both the solar generation and sale of Solar Renewable Energy Certificates will assist in keeping overall energy costs lower.

Helpful Links
Atlantic County Utilities Authority