Capstone Turbine Corporation - Low Emission Microturbines for Cogeneration/CHP

Capstone Turbine Corporation develops, manufactures, sells and services microturbine technology solutions. The Capstone turbogenerator has just one moving part supported by patented air-bearings, so there are no liquid lubricants or coolants to maintain. State-of-the-art electronics are used to convert the high-frequency power from the turbogenerator into useful 50Hz or 60Hz three-phase output.

The Capstone microturbine solutions are primarily used in stationary distributed power generation applications including cogeneration, resource recovery and secure power.

CAPSTONE MICROTURBINES - CLEAN, GREEN, RELIABLE SOURCE OF ENERGY

Capstone MicroTurbines can operate on a variety of gaseous or liquid fuels and emit very low emissions, making Capstone a clean, green, reliable source of energy. By integrating an aero-based turbine engine, a magnetic generator, advanced power electronics and maintenance-free air bearings technology, Capstone MicroTurbines are an ideal solution to today's Distributed Generation (DG) needs.

Capstone offers an Advanced Power Server (APS). The primary function of the APS is to act as a "supervisory" control-point for Casptone MicroTurbines. The software in the APS can be configured to accommodate a wide range of operating scenarios, letting the customer gain maximum value from the microturbine installation.

COMBINED HEAT & POWER (CHP) AND COMBINED COOLING, HEATING & POWER (CCHP)

Capstone MicroTurbines generate electrical power and useable heat. The usable heat can provide hot water, steam, or drive an absorption chiller for air-conditioning. Onsite CHP is far more fuel-efficient and environmentally beneficial than utility power and boiler heating. The grid-parallel electricity produced lowers a facility's demand on utility power and dramatically cuts monthly power bills.

In addition, clean, efficient DG offers a variety of societal and customer benefits including:

• Efficient use of fuel – by recycling the waste heat from the electric generation process, efficiencies in excess of 80% are achievable
• Reduced emissions - using EPA and DOE data, there is tremendous reduction of NOx emissions from the traditional versus combined heat and power solution
• Reduced greenhouse gas or CO2
• Reduced generation costs – a well-designed project can reduce total utility bills up to 20%
• Support to the utility grid - gas-fired DG provides consistent output without constant fluctuations
• Renewable fuel option - microturbines have the ability to run on renewable landfill and digester gases as well as natural gas

SECURE POWER

Today's businesses face a difficult situation - continuity of electric power in the face of weather-related power outages and the continued threat of terrorist disruption. Capstone MicroTurbines can operate connected to a utility grid or provide stand alone power to critical loads. Transition time between these two operating modes is less than ten seconds, allowing customers to secure their critical power needs.

Traditional backup gensets just sit there as idle assets most of the time, and then do not always start when do need them. The new paradigm is to operate Capstone MicroTurbines as continuous power supplies - saving money in CHP, CCHP or Resource Recovery applications most of the time, and quickly transitioning to standby power when you need it.

RESOURCE RECOVERY - BIOGAS

Capstone MicroTurbines can cleanly burn waste gases such as methane and other toxic gases from landfills, sewage treatment plants, livestock farms and food waste processing facilities to create renewable power and heat. Most sites flare those gases or let them vent into the air, a practice that is highly polluting and damages the Earth's ozone layer.

OIL AND GAS RESOURCE RECOVERY: OILFIELD AND PLATFORM APPLICATIONS AND ONSHORE UPSTREAM

Perfect for both manned and unmanned platforms, Capstone MicroTurbines reliably power onshore and offshore operations using unprocessed wellhead gas to generate three-phase, load-following continuous power. In addition, a Capstone platform power solution dramatically reduces scheduled maintenance to mere filter changes twice a year. The first minor scheduled maintenance is at 20,000 hours, and overhaul is suggested by 40,000 hours.

GAS STORAGE / TRANSMISSION

In the US and abroad, Capstone MicroTurbines are also helping ensure the flow of natural gas. Since Capstone MicroTurbines have very high availability due to very brief, infrequent scheduled maintenance needs, they are providing a perfect fit for compression, transmission and storage stations.