Originally published February 4 2006
Renewable energy will power new wastewater treatment plant in Atlantic City
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Powered by a system that combines solar energy arrays with a wind farm, Atlantic County's new wastewater treatment center is one of the largest hybrid power plants in the world.
Atlantic County's wastewater treatment plant will be the first in the United States to be powered by a system that combines solar energy arrays with a wind farm.
By capturing energy from the sun and the Atlantic Coast winds, rather than burning fossil fuels, the hybrid solar-wind power plant will produce enough energy to power the equivalent of approximately 3800 homes and displace the need for an estimated 24,000 barrels of oil per year.
The new power plant, dedicated December 12th by the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA), is also one of the largest hybrid solar-wind power plants in the world.
"This is a considerable achievement for the people of New Jersey," said Kurt Conti, CEO of Alternity Power, the project's solar engineering and construction firm, "Residents and visitors to Atlantic County and Atlantic City will secure all the benefits of a technologically advanced water treatment plant, while the greenhouse gas emissions usually associated with a plant of this size are dramatically reduced."
The solar energy system portion of the hybrid solar-wind power plant consists of two rooftop photovoltaic (PV) arrays, one carport mounted PV array, and two PV arrays located on the ground.
"The forward-thinking folks at the ACUA -- who had many energy options to choose from -- chose the most environmentally friendly and most energy efficient way to power this plant," Conti said.
The ACUA expects an average savings of $135,000 a year from the solar energy system, as a result of both reduced energy costs and the sale of Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) generated by the system.
Alternity Power, the renewable energy division of The Conti Group, utilized its solar and civil engineering expertise to install the solar energy system.
For instance, after evaluating landfill and shoreline stability as well as permitting issues, Alternity Power and the ACUA worked together to create a cost-effective plan on where to best locate the solar arrays.
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