From an engineering perspective, the combined heat and power (CHP) plant in the Bergen County Utilities Authority's (BCUA) facility provides an energy-efficient solution to an operation with very high energy use. Prior to operation of this CHP plant, the wastewater pollution control facility was using over 30 gigawatt-hours of electricity.  Electricity use drawn from the grid reportedly was cut in half when, in the first year of operation, the CHP plant produced a reported 15 gigawatt-hours of electricity. In addition to this major reduction off the electrical grid, the facility also reduced greenhouse gas emissions, captured methane to use as a renewable resource, and supported several goals of the state’s Energy Master Plan. This Utility Authority is pursuing even more energy-efficiency opportunities, including PV solar panels, fuel switching from oil to natural gas, and swapping for a hybrid fleet. BCUA has provided a template for other wastewater pollution control facilities to replicate, and they have developed informational brochures and conducted numerous tours of the facility to help others in the community understand the importance of this energy saving project. Accepting the award, from left to right, BPU President Jeanne Fox, Richard Erickson and Richard Cestone of Birdsall/PMK Group, BPU Commissioner Joseph Fiordaliso,  Eric Andersen of BCUA, BPU Commissioner Nicholas Asselta, BCUA Commissioner Ronald Phillips, BPU Commissioner Elizabeth Randall.

The Bergen County Utilities Authority provides sewage disposal and solid waste services throughout Bergen County. The BCUA is committed to fulfilling its mission in a manner that recognizes the important role they play in protecting the environment, preventing pollution and conserving resources.

To minimize the BCUA’s reliance on the electrical grid and on natural gas to power their high energy consuming wastewater pollution control facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey. In a one year period, the facility had used over 30 gigawatt hours of electricity purchased at a cost of $5.27 million.

With an eye toward improving energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gases and generating significant cost savings, the BCUA began an in-depth energy study of their wastewater pollution control facility in 2005. It was determined that construction of a combined heat and power cogeneration plant to create the electricity and hot water necessary to operate the facility would be advantageous to the BCUA, the municipalities it serves and other sewer service ratepayers.

The unique design of BCUA’s CHP plant utilizes biogas (methane), the renewable energy produced by the facility’s five anaerobic digesters, as the main source of fuel to run the plant with natural gas as a backup source. This allows the BCUA to not only reduce the amount of electricity drawn and purchased from the grid, but also the cost of operating their hot water boilers and the level of greenhouse gas emissions released into the air.

In its first year of operation, BCUA’s CHP plant generated 15 gigawatt hours of electricity, leading to a total cost savings of $1.79 million. The BCUA estimates that their CHP cogeneration facility will be paid off in less than seven years and that, over a 25-year lifetime, the plant will save as much as $45 million. Furthermore, BCUA’s greenhouse gas emissions were slashed dramatically with nearly 11,000 tons avoided, the equivalent of removing 1,815 cars from the road for a year.

Motivated by the success of their CHP plant, the BCUA has created a Sustainable Energy Master Plan which includes additional energy saving initiatives, such as: increased biogas production, biogas storage, stand-by power (demand management), changeover of existing fuel oil tank system to natural gas/biogas, brown grease recovery to produce biogas, photovoltaic (PV) solar, water source heat pump system utilizing lagoon water, wind turbine, hybrid fleet, and improved energy efficiency.

To help educate others in their clean energy efforts, the BCUA has generously opened their CHP facility to tours for other public utilities and even regional school students.

The NJ Board of Public Utilities congratulates Bergen County Utilities Authority, winner of the 2009 NJ Clean Energy Local Government of the Year Leadership Award.