Camarillo, Calif.: GE and its customer Houweling’s Tomatoes, a North American greenhouse grower, unveiled August 22 what they say is the first combined heat and power greenhouse project in America that captures carbon dioxide for use in plant fertilization. Using two of GE’s 4.36-megawatt Jenbacher J624 two-staged turbocharged natural gas engines and a GE-designed CO2 fertilization system, the plant provides heat, power and CO2 to Houweling’s 125-acre tomato greenhouse in Camarillo, Calif.
The first greenhouse CHP project in the U.S. also gives an added boost to California’s goal to generate 6,500 MW of new CHP generation in the state by 2020. The project represents the launch of GE’s J624 two-staged turbocharged gas engines for the 60 Hz segment and the first of these engines sold in the U.S. Introduced by GE in 2007, the J624 is the world’s first 24-cylinder gas engine for commercial power generation and can be used in various applications. It also is the first gas engine featuring double turbo-charging, which makes it even more efficient.
The CHP plant will enable flexible generation and contribute electric power during peak daytime demand periods. With a five-minute start-up capability, this high-efficiency plant also provides power to the electric utility to augment that of the power grid. Additionally, the thermal energy produced from the engine during power generation can be transferred to the greenhouse immediately during cooler periods or retained in existing thermal storage tanks for use at other times of the day.