Capstone Powered Micro-Cogeneration System Wins Innovation Award; BG Technology's MiniGen Deemed 'Outstanding' by UK Agriculture Minister.Business Editors &Energy/Environment Writers WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2000 The Capstone MicroTurbine(TM) powered MiniGen(TM) cogeneration system recently won the &uot;Most Innovative Product Award&uot; at the United Kingdom's premier horticultural event. BG Technology, a UK-based provider of innovative energy generation solutions and an applications development partner of Capstone Turbine Capstone Turbine Corporation NASDAQ: CPST, incorporated in 1988, is a California based gas turbine manufacturer that specializes in microturbine power and heat cogeneration systems. Capstone has sold and shipped more than 3,000 of these one-moving-part systems worldwide. Corporation, conceived the MiniGen concept and has installed it at a large greenhouse in England. BG Technology is integrating the innovative Capstone MicroTurbine power generation system into a range of combined-heat-and-power (CHP CHP Chapter CHP Combined Heat and Power CHP California Highway Patrol CHP Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Turkish: Republican People's Party) CHP Chemical Hygiene Plan (OSHA) CHP Community Health Plan ) cogeneration packages in the UK and Ireland. Deemed &uot;outstanding&uot; by UK Agriculture Minister Nick Brown and other judges at the international HortEx horticultural event, the system &uot;offers smaller horticultural growers an opportunity to have CHP and all its associated benefits for the first time. Its small size and efficiency makes it viable for as little as a tenth of an acre-sized greenhouse.&uot; In this first-of-its-kind installation, the MiniGen is operating at W.J. Findon &Son, a large grower based in Stratford-upon-Avon. The 30 kW Capstone MicroTurbine provides power to a large commercial greenhouse while the clean exhaust of the microturbine is passed directly into the greenhouse to boost carbon dioxide carbon dioxide, chemical compound, CO2, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is about one and one-half times as dense as air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. (CO(2)) levels to improve plant quality. Expensive catalytic exhaust gas Exhaust gas is flue gas which occurs as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline/petrol, diesel, fuel oil or coal. It is discharged into the atmosphere through an exhaust pipe or flue gas stack. clean-up equipment is not required because the oxygen-rich Capstone MicroTurbine exhaust is so pollutant-free that it may be used directly. Smog-producing NOx emissions are less than 1/20th those of other natural gas power generators and 1/200th those of traditional diesel generators. &uot;Efficient use of energy is very important to my business. The new MiniGen(TM) package allows me to use almost 100% of the available energy produced and also provides the CO(2) for my glasshouse,&uot; said David Findon, Partner of W.J. Findon &Son. &uot;We are delighted with the enthusiastic acceptance of our ultra-low-emission microturbine into the horticultural market,&uot; said Dr. Ake Almgren, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Capstone Turbine Corporation. &uot;BG Technology has done a superb job matching the low-cost, high-efficiency and unique air quality needs of greenhouses with the clean exhaust, reliability and robustness of our technology. &uot;This is an excellent example of the Capstone MicroTurbine as an enabling technology. This particular application would not have been possible without our air bearing technology, which eliminates the need for liquid lubricants lubricants preparations for the lubrication of passages to reduce frictional injury, e.g. oily preparations, including petroleum jelly, lanolin or water-soluble preparations such as methyl cellulose. and means the MicroTurbine's exhaust has none of the oily residue present in the exhaust of liquid lubricated lu·bri·cate v. lu·bri·cat·ed, lu·bri·cat·ing, lu·bri·cates v.tr. 1. To apply a lubricant to. 2. To make slippery or smooth. v.intr. To act as a lubricant. generators,&uot; Dr. Almgren added. Microturbine technology offers many benefits including low operating costs operating costs npl → gastos mpl operacionales , compact size, reduced noise, ultra-low emissions, high reliability and fuel flexibility, as gaseous gas·e·ous adj. 1. Of, relating to, or existing as a gas. 2. Full of or containing gas; gassy. , liquid and renewable fuels Renewable fuels are alternative fuel sources such as ethanol, biodiesel (e.g. soy, vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases) or hydrogen, in contrast to non-renewable fuels such as natural gas, LPG (propane). can be used. Integrated CHP systems achieve 70-80% thermal efficiency In thermodynamics, the thermal efficiency (  ) is a dimensionless performance measure of a thermal device such as an internal combustion engine, a boiler, or a furnace, for example. , twice that of the average fossil fuel power plant A fossil fuel power plant is an energy conversion center that burns fossil fuels to produce electricity, designed on a large scale for continuous operation. Basic concepts . This brings the systems in line with the 160-nation Kyoto Protocol Kyoto Protocol: see global warming. emissions reduction agreement. BG Technology plans to develop further microturbine MiniGen(TM) packages that will provide water and air heating, cooling and direct firing using the hot clean exhaust gases of the Capstone MicroTurbine. The company expects to install these cogeneration and trigeneration systems in residential, commercial and industrial sites. Note: Capstone at Cambridge Energy Research Association (CERA) Executive Conference Dr. Ake Almgren will be a featured speaker February 9 at CERAWeek, the Cambridge Energy Research Association's Executive Conference in Houston. CERA is one of the world's leading research organizations in the energy sector. Dr. Almgren will address &uot;Effects of Technology on the Electric Power Business&uot; in a panel entitled &uot;Energy Distribution and the Information Revolution,&uot; which is assessing the impact of the latest technologies on energy distribution and what they mean for the future of power generation and delivery. Capstone Turbine Corporation Headquartered in Woodland Hills, Calif., Capstone Turbine Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer of low-emission, microturbine power generators. Capstone's air-cooled design and patented air bearing technology avoid the high maintenance costs of traditional power generation systems. Capstone MicroTurbine generators meet today's needs for efficient combined heat and power; oilfield flare gas reduction and other types of resource recovery; power capacity additions, load management; stand-alone power for remote sites and hybrid electric vehicles A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a vehicle which combines a conventional propulsion system with an on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) to achieve better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle without being hampered by range from a charging unit like an . Commercial units began shipping late in 1998. Company information may be found at www.capstoneturbine.com. BG Technology BG Technology is a world leader in the application of rugged and innovative technologies used by international energy and utility companies, instrumentation manufacturers and engineering companies. Company information can be found at www.bgtechnology.com. W.J. Findon &Son Established in March 1933, W.J. Findon &Son operate out of a large nursery based in Stratford-upon-Avon. The company employs up to 240 staff persons over five sites, with greenhouses encompassing a total of 18 acres. They produce 200 million plants across 3,000 product lines each year. |
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