Calpine cooperation was founded in 1984 and currently the cooperation is the largest in America. The corporation generates electricity and thermal energy from natural gas and geothermal resources. With a fleet of around 84 power plants, the company generates around 270000 megawatts of electricity and through wholesale operations and retail business; the center serves in over 21 states and Canada. The corporation has taken a lead to ensure a cleaner energy for future use is in place. The focus of the center is to provide its esteemed customers with clean, efficient and reliable electricity and thermal energy. With this focus in place, the Calpine Corporation uses two key technologies in its production of electricity and thermal energy. The technologies are combined cycle gas-fired and geothermal power generation.
The culture and philosophy of Calpine Corporation are to be committed to producing environmentally friendly products. The Corporation is among the largest electricity and thermal energy producers in America, has put Strategies in place, and is among the least emitter of sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide per megawatt per hour. In also operates a renewable geothermal source plant at some of its plants. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the production of electricity and thermal energy at Calpine Stony Brook Energy Center and analyze the emphasis the center has put on environmental consideration.
Production of electricity and thermal energy at Calpine Stony Brook Energy Center
The Stony Brook Power Plant is located in New York at Stony Brook. The plant has been in operation since April 1995 and produced 45 megawatts of power and does Calpine own 100%. The electricity and steam produced by Stony Brook Power Plant are sold to the State University of New York under the long-term sales agreement. The excess electricity is sold to the New York Independent System Operator. The Calpine Stony Brook Energy Center employs the use of natural gas-fired and simple cycle cogeneration technologies in the production of electricity and thermal energy (Lazzaretto and Carraretto 1564). Natural gas powers the simple cycle power plant at the Calpine Stony Brook Energy Center. The cogeneration technology employed by the center allows simultaneous production of two forms of energy that is electrical energy and geo thermal energy. Cogeneration at the center entails use of what would otherwise be wasted heat such as the manufacturing plant's exhaust to produce an additional form of energy, in this case, geo thermal energy. The natural gas enters the system and gets to the GE lm 6000 aero-derivative gas turbine. The cycle cogeneration powerful GE LM6000 aero-derivative gas turbine compresses the natural gas. The gas turbines are driven by the incoming water, which is boiled to accomplish the task. The compressed natural gas is released into a gas turbine at very high pressure. The highly compressed air under high pressure then drives a generator that is capable of producing 45 megawatts of electrical power. During the production of electrical energy, heat is exhausted from the turbine (Plunkett's Energy Industry Almanac 21). This exhausted heat is used in geothermal energy generation. The production of electricity leads to exhaustion of heat from the gas turbine at very high temperatures of about 900 faradays. The heat exhausted is then passed through a Nooter Erikson Recovery Steam Generator, which converts it to thermal energy. The exhausted heat is recycled at this stage hence the name cycle cogeneration (Mergent Industrial Manual n.p). The pictorial view is as below,
Calpine Stony Brook Energy Center’s emphasis on environmental consideration
Calpine Corporation has been a leader in environmental stewardship a role it has successfully carried out since its inception in 1984. The company has invested in clean electricity and thermal energy generation making it well known for developing, construction, owning and operating an environmentally friendly power plant. The plant has put in place technologies that are environmental friendly which are the natural gas-fired combustion turbines and renewable geothermal conventional steam turbines.
At Calpine Stony Brook Energy Center, many emphases are put on environmental consideration. The technology used at Calpine Brook energy center is itself environmental friendly since it allows the recycle products that would otherwise be let into the atmosphere. Some of the pollutants released by the cycle cogeneration system at the Calpine Brook Energy Center include sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon oxide and particulates (Lazzaretto and Carraretto 1567). The pollutants are under strict control and before they are released into the atmosphere the centers ensures they meet required standards. The cycle cogeneration system at the center is fueled exclusively by natural gas this provides it utilizes the water injection and selective catalytic reduction systems installed into it to control the emission of nitrogen oxide gas. The system is also installed with the oxidation catalyst that controls the emission of carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds gasses into the atmosphere by converting it into carbon dioxide (Calpine Fond Du Lac Energy Center, Llc, Generation Project 23). The other environmental consideration put into place is the re-use of the exhausted heat from the electricity generation process. The exhausted heat instead of been released into the atmosphere and escape useless is recycled in the recovery steam generator where it is converted to thermal energy.
Conclusion
Notably, it is evident that the Calpine Corporation has come up with useful technologies to facilitate electricity production. The natural gas-fired and straightforward cycle cogeneration technologies used in the production of electricity. Thermal energy at the Calpine Stony Brook Energy Center, are examples of the environmental technologies that electricity-producing firms around the globe can imitate. The environmental friendly considerations that the center has put in place are good strategies that the nations around the world should consider using to ensure the issue of global warming and environmental pollution is addressed. From a societal standpoint if the cogeneration technology is employed throughout the world in the generation of electricity, then greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with electricity production can be relatively reduced. The efficiency gain in the technology will also help the end user to cut on utility bills and make electricity a commodity that everyone can access easily even in the developing nations.
Works Cited
Calpine Fond Du Lac Energy Center, Llc, Generation Project. Madison, Wis: The Commission, 2002. Print.
Lazzaretto, A., and C. Carraretto. "Optimum production plans for thermal power plants in the deregulated electricity market." Energy 31.10-11 (2006): 1567-1585. Web. <10.1016/j.energy.2005.05.007>.
Mergent Industrial Manual. New York: Mergent, 2001. Print.
Plunkett's Energy Industry Almanac, 2005: The Only Comprehensive Guide to the Energy & Utlities Industry. Houston, Tex: Plunkett Research, 2005. Print.
