Quantum Biopower commissions 1.2 MW CHP unit
Biomass Magazine December 7, 2017
Southington, Connecticut town officials pictured at the Quantum Biopower plant, with the new combined heat the power system, are from left, Mark Sciota, Town Manager; Lou Perillo, Head of Economic Development; Brian Paganini, Vice President & Managing Director of Qunautm Biopower; and Michael Riccio, Chairman of the Town Council.
Quantum Biopower started its 1.2 MW combined-heat-and-power (CHP) unit Tuesday, adding a new source of renewable power to Southington, Connecticut. Officials from the Town of Southington were on hand for the official start of the generating unit.
Power from Quantum’s facility is being virtually net metered to power Southington municipal buildings. Town Manager Mark Sciota said that this will result in significant cost savings to the town over the next 20 years.
“We’re proud of the work Quantum is doing and the strides [Southington] is making to become as green a community as possible,” Sciota added.
Southington Chairman, Michael Riccio, pressed the button which initiated the engine’s startup.
Vice President and Managing Director of Quantum Biopower Brian Paganini said that it was Southington’s vision of creating a forward-thinking energy plan that attracted Quantum in the first place. The town has been an eager and willing partner throughout Quantum’s development.
Quantum’s facility processes 40,000 tons per year of food waste through anaerobic digestion, creating 1.2 MW of Class 1 renewable power. Every year, Quantum will displace the equivalent of 5,000 tons per year of CO2 emissions by recycling food waste into methane to create energy. The facility also produces 8,000 tons per year of premium organic compost as a residual byproduct of the digestion process.
The facility is producing a steady flow of high volume biogas, which is now being used as fuel for an electrical generation unit to produce clean, renewable electricity. The CHP unit was packaged and integrated by 2G Energy, based in St. Augustine, Florida, and commissioned with the support of the 2G team.
Quantum is currently working with a myriad of food waste generators, such as Dunkin Brands, Whole Foods, Yale University, the Aqua Turf Club, and most recently, the University of Connecticut. Quantum is also currently engaged in a curbside collection program with the Town of West Hartford. This program aims to measure the amount of organic waste created from a sample group of 130 households.