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SUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABILITY. Atlantic County, NJ. Why CNG Trucks? Why Now? September 30 th , 2010 Gary Conover, Solid Waste Director Atlantic County Utilities Authority Contact information: 609.272.6950 gconover@acua.com www.acua.com. The Atlantic County Utilities Authority.

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SUSTAINABILITY

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  1. SUSTAINABILITY Atlantic County, NJ

  2. Why CNG Trucks? Why Now? September 30th, 2010 Gary Conover, Solid Waste Director Atlantic County Utilities Authority Contact information: 609.272.6950 gconover@acua.com www.acua.com

  3. The Atlantic County Utilities Authority • The Atlantic County Utilities Authority is a public agency that provides environmental and waste management services to the people of Atlantic County and southern New Jersey. • The ACUA operates both Wastewater and Solid Waste Management Systems.

  4. About the • $62.5 million in annual revenue • 250 employees • Full service regional wastewater treatment facility, trash & recycling collection, landfill, composting, recycling center, and transfer station. The ACUA Mission Statement. . . The Atlantic County Utilities Authority is responsible for enhancing the quality of life through the protection of waters and lands from pollution by providing responsible waste management services. The Authority is an environmental leader and will continue to use new technologies, innovations and employee ideas to provide the highest quality and most cost effective environmental services. . . .makes the Authority a natural facilitator for renewable energy projects

  5. What does sustainability mean to the ACUA? • Ensuring our viability in the future by making smarter, greener decisions today that result in: • More efficient uses of energy • Fewer harmful emissions produced • Less waste • Less dependence on foreign oil • Greater cost savings • Greater stability for the organization • A healthier community www.derbigum.com

  6. The ACUApracticessustainabilitythrough: • Using alternative energy and fuels • Wind • Solar • Landfill gas • Geothermal • Biodiesel • Compressed Natural Gas • Dedicating employee resources to sustainable practices • Greening the office place • Joining the Chicago Climate Exchange and Climate Action Reserve • Engaging in community outreach and education • Providing energy curtailment services • Planning for a greener future

  7. Jersey – Atlantic Wind Farm M.A. Mortenson Company Atlantic City, NJ

  8. Jersey – Atlantic Wind Farm • The first coastal wind farm built in the Northeast and the first wind farm in New Jersey • $12.5 million project • Project fully funded by a third party & NJBPU • Five General Electric 1.5 mW turbines • 7.5 mW of electricity during peak operations • Enough to power 2,500 homes • Provides almost 60% of the yearly electrical energy needs for the plant.

  9. ACUA’s Solar Portfolio • 2,700 solar panels installed at Wastewater Treatment Facility in five arrays:two roof top, two ground mounts and one canopy array • 500 kW system owned and maintained by ACUA • Operational in 2006 • $3.25 million project • $1.9 million CORE rebate from NJBPU • Electricity from the solar arrays also create SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Credits) • ACUA’s solar arrays have generated over 2.4 million kWh of electricity and saved the ACUA over $1.3 million

  10. Landfill Gas to Electric • ACUA project fully funded by a third party; AC Landfill Energy, LLC, a joint venture of DCO Energy and South Jersey Industries • Methane gas powers 5.4 Mw engine generators (combined 1.6 Mw generator and two 1.9 Mw generators) • 1.6 Mw of energy produced powers all of ACUA’s Environmental Park. Excess energy sold to PJM Grid • Capable of producing enough energy to power 3,434 homes • Excess energy from the LFGTE Project is sold to The Borgata Casino Spa & Hotel • $513,200 incentive from NJBPU; $375,000 NJDEP grant NJEDA low interest loan for remaining $ 2 million • Estimated annual savings - $550,000 • Greenhouse gas credits are registered on the Climate Action Reserve

  11. Geothermal Energy • Geothermal energy is the only renewable energy source created naturally by the earth itself. • Well-designed geothermal systems are among the most environmentally benign sources of energy. • A closed loop geothermal unit provides the heating and cooling for the Authority’s administrative office or Geo Building. Geothermal Office Building Reduces Electric Cost by 20%

  12. Alternative Fuels Biodiesel • ACUA operates largest biodiesel fleet in New Jersey • Entire ACUA diesel fleet, 106 vehicles, runs on a B5 blend of biodiesel • In addition, 23 municipal vehicles and four county vehicles use biodiesel and fill-up at the ACUA

  13. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) • ACUA is building a CNG filling station, partially funded by a DOE Clean Cities grant • Transition collection fleet to CNG • First of its kind in southern NJ • Operational by the Fall of 2010 • Will have public fleet access

  14. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) • Why CNG? • Cheaper - Natural gas is between $0.50 and $1.00 cheaper than diesel per gallon equivalent. ACUA estimates that it will save $10,000 per truck for the first year based on the Price differential b/w NG & Diesel plus the Alternative Fuel Tax Credit of $0.50 per GGE for fuel used and dispensed. The Alternative Fuel Tax Credit is due to expire 12/31/2010 but there are two Bills in Congress that may extend it 2019 or beyond.

  15. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) • Cleaner – NG burns cleaner than diesel/gasoline creating 80% less ozone forming emissions • Less Expensive • Produced domestically

  16. Electric Vehicles & Charging Stations • The ACUA unveiled three electric charging stations in July of 2009 on both its Solid Waste and Wastewater Treatment sites • The stations are capable of charging at 110 volts or 220 volts • The ACUA owns a low-speed GEM electric car and a 2000 Ford Ranger EV • The Ranger gets 61 miles on a single charge and takes between 6 and 8 hours to charge • Estimated cost of $0.04 per mile • All electricity produced for the vehicles comes from renewable sources making them zero-emission

  17. Dedicating Employee Resources to Sustainable Practices • Created an R&D department dedicated to researching greener business practices and energy sources, with a focus on • New technologies/project analysis • Available grants and incentives for green projects • Regulatory environment • Monitoring efficiencies of implementations • Spreading the green philosophy through the organization, and inspiring other departments to embrace new, sustainable ideas (i.e. IT department) • Hiring interns to gain “green collar” experience, including an intern in the maintenance facility to work on the areas first electric vehicle

  18. Greening the Office Place:Energy & Water Conservation • Waterless urinals, faucet sensors and low-flow aerators • Replaced CRT monitors with energy efficient LCDs • Computer monitors utilize energy saving “sleep” mode • Reduced number of servers by 1/3 • Energy Star certified appliances and office equipment and high efficiency lighting • Energy Audit done by Rowan University students to determine opportunities for additional improvements in efficiency • ACUA promotes and provides assistance to local municipalities applying for NJ Energy Audit program

  19. Greening the Office Place:Waste reduction & Eco products • Paperless faxes • Paperless payroll and time-off requests • Double-sided default printing/copying • Recycled content paper products • Compost areas • Community garden • Carpeting made from recycled plastic soda bottles • Deck, benches and furniture made from recycled plastic lumber

  20. Joining CCX & CAR • In February of 2007 ACUA gained membership in CCX-- the world’s first legally binding rules-based GHG emission allowance trading platform • First in New Jersey • Committed to cutting GHG emissions by 6% of 2000 levels by 2010 • Reached this goal by December 31, 2008 and have continued to make GHG reductions each year • In October of 2009, ACUA gained membership in Climate Action Reserve (CAR) • CAR encourages voluntary reporting and has developed a protocol to track GHG emissions and reductions • ACUA has registered carbon offset credits from capturing landfill gas on CAR • Each credit has a market value which provides ACUA funds to support more green initiatives

  21. Community Outreach & Education • Getting the public educated about sustainability in the home and office, and acting as a model for other organizations • Facility tours • Community Events • Hosting workshops and seminars on • alternative energy • Newsletter • Social networking • Fact sheets and educational materials • Annual Earth Day celebration • Clean Communities Program • Water Use it Wisely Campaign • Environmental Stewards Program

  22. Energy Curtailment • Reducing electricity use in response to high prices or grid reliability problems • ACUA will curtail use when called upon for up to 15 minutes • Replaces the need for standby generation • While participating in the Spinning Reserves program from 2008 – 2009 the ACUA earned approximately $25,000

  23. Planning for a greener future:Truck Wash • Treat and reuse water from previous washes • Up to 80% of the water is reused • Save money and reduce the potable water needed to wash vehicles • Solar hot water heating system included • Up to 800 gallons of preheated water can be stored • Open to outside fleets for use

  24. Planning for a greener future: Plug in Hybrids One of ACUA’s Ford Escape Hybrids will be converted to a plug in hybrid

  25. Planning for a greenerfuture:V2G Technology MAGICConsortium Partners • Utilizes the stored energy in electric vehicle batteries • Contribute electricity back to the grid upon demand • Customers earn revenue for energy sold back • Increases grid efficiency and reliability • Makes it possible to use intermittent renewable sources like wind and solar to power vehicles ACUA is a partner in the Mid-Atlantic Grid Interactive Cars Consortium (MAGICC), created to test, develop and demonstrate V2G technology www.magjicconsortium.org

  26. Planning for a greener future: Solar on the landfill Utilizing the landfill area for solar arrays • 15 acre area of ACUA landfill • 2-3 megawatts could be installed • Power can be sold to customer adjacent to property • Revenue from SRECs and electricity offset capital cost for ACUA or 3rd party • Should be operational in 2010

  27. Planning for a greener future: Plasma Gasification • ACUA is exploring plasma gasification as a way to divert material from the landfill • Byproduct: electricity and syngas • What is plasma gasification? • Plasma gasification differs from incineration • Plasma described as “fourth state of matter” • No oxygen introduced • Higher temperatures, high energy state • Plasma torches break trash into atoms that compose it • Efficient – 46% of waste converted to energy

  28. Communicating Sustainability 5 Keys to pushing sustainability in 2010: • Leadership & Innovation • Partnerships • Reticulating sustainable initiatives with core company values • Leveraging consumer concern for the environment and foreign sources of energy • Using social media tools and web content

  29. Gary Conover Atlantic County Utilities Authority Contact information: 609-272-6950 gconover@acua.com

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