Green Power

The City of Toledo is developing a 10 MW "green power" landfill methane gas cogeneration facility at its Bay View Wastewater Treatment Plant that is expected to give economic, environmental, and reliability benefits to the city. According to Martin F. Ellman, PE, DGCP, senior technical manager,

Energy Technology, Middough Inc., biogas from the Hoffman Rd. Sanitary Landfill, currently being flared, will fuel the cogeneration facility to prov ide primary power for the Bay View WWTP and other city facilities. The cogeneration facility will also be fueled using digester biogas generated at Bay View WWTP.

Toledo has contracted with Middough Inc. to provide engineering and design services for the cogeneration system and related facilities and with Solar Tur­bines Inc. to provide the combined cycle cogeneration systems, other plant equipment and gas treatment and cleaning systems equipment. Infrasource and Barton Malow will construct the landfill gas pipeline and the building, scheduled to be in full operation next spring.

More Power

This biogas composition and quantity will provide sufficient power to operate the Bay View WWTP 4.5 MW base load and to power the Hoffman Rd. landfill, the new Veteran's Skyline Memorial Bridge lighting, and potentially other city facilities. Federal funding has been obtained to provide the approximately two-mile landfill gas pipeline from the landfill to the WWTP cogen building. 

The facility will operate in parallel with the electrical utility and the Bay View WWTP emergency power reciprocating engine generator system, providing for both economic saving and increased reliability against regional power black­ outs, should such an event ever occur in Ohio. The Bay View WWTP 9.5 MW peak demand power requirement will be met utilizing the most cost-effective alternative off purchasing power from the utility grid to supplement the cogeneration facility's capabilities.

The combined cycle facility will include black start, island mode, peak shaving/load sharing, and net metering modes of operation. The cogeneration building is designed to allow the facility to be showcased as a "green energy" facility. As such, the building was modified to include a meeting/conference room to provide a place for tours and other visitors to meet.