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Arizona Public Service (APS), Arizona's largest and longest-serving
electricity utility has selected rem
ENGINEERING, to provide electric
generation for its newest biomass project. "APS is committed
to developing clean renewable energy sources today that will
fuel tomorrow's economy," said Ed Fox, vice president
of Communications, Environment and Safety for APS. "Biomass
is one of those future energy sources, and in Arizona, it
also can be part of a solution to our forest health issues."
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This is the second project of this kind for APS and continues
to lay the foundation for future endeavors in this field.
This project will consume approximately 96 tons of forested
wood each day and generate 3 megawatts of electricity producing
enough energy for up to 3,000 homes and businesses in the
region. This biomass project reduces the risk of forest fire
and improves the health of nearby forests by thinning small
non-commercial size trees to produce clean, "green"
electricity. A direct economic benefit to the local community
is realized in the creation of full-time jobs necessary to
operate the power plant and harvest trees that otherwise would
have no use. By using the wood chips that are produced from
the forested trees, APS expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by up to 15,000 tons per year. Trees that in the past would
have been burned in the forest now will be burned in a boiler
under controlled conditions, thereby producing fewer emissions.
rem ENGINEERING,
Inc. provided the thermodynamic engineering for the project
including overall power plant heat balance due to their experience
and expertise on similar scale, solid fuel electrical generation
projects. rem also supplied all electrical generating equipment
for the project consisting of a condensing steam turbine,
synchronous generator, gear, baseplate, lubrication system,
controls and condensing system.
While APS will get the green credits to apply to the Arizona
Environmental Portfolio Standard - which, by 2007 will require
APS to generate 1.1 percent of its power through renewable
sources - it's the experience the company is gaining with
biomass that may prove most beneficial. This power plant will
help APS continue to develop a template to build biomass plants
that use similar technology in other parts of the state. APS
is exploring other forest-intensive locations with rem throughout
the state to build green power plants. With headquarters in
Phoenix, APS is the largest subsidiary of Pinnacle
West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).
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