Netherlands Commercial Tomato Greenhouse Boosts Production with Cogeneration Plant Powered by World’s First 24-Cylinder Gas Engines
02 October 2008
GE Energy announced today that one of the Netherlands’ largest commercial tomato greenhouse operators is the first to operate the world’s first commercial 24-cylinder gas engine. Royal Pride Holland is using the engines to power the greenhouse’s new cogeneration plant. The new project highlights the increased emphasis on combined heat and power (CHP) in Europe as the region increases its focus on energy efficiency.
Last month, two of GE’s 4MW, natural gas-fuelled J624 GS engines began powering Royal Pride Holland’s new greenhouse cogeneration plant. The sprawling greenhouse facility is located in Middenmeer, 50km north of Amsterdam. The Jenbacher units were installed as part of a pilot project to demonstrate the engine’s commercial viability for the horticultural industry.
The plant is equipped with GE’s Jenbacher cogeneration-rich exhaust (the CO2 fertilisation process treats the engines’ CO2), allowing the gas to be recycled in the greenhouse as a special fertiliser to help boost crop production instead of venting the gas into the atmosphere. In addition to supporting the greenhouse’s operations, surplus electricity from the cogeneration plant is being delivered to the local grid.
The cogeneration plant project allowed Royal Pride Holland to expand the greenhouse to 102ha, up from the site’s original 45ha of surface area, making it one of the largest facilities in the Netherlands and a major international horticultural production centre.
“We are proud to be part of the commercial introduction of GE’s J624 GS engine to help us enhance our operational performance and overall competitive position,” said Frank van Kleef, director of Royal Pride Holland. “The introduction of this new technology supports the commitment of our country’s horticultural industry to continuously improve the production and quality of its products for the global marketplace.”
The Netherlands has been at the forefront of Europe’s efforts to encourage industries to expand the use of advanced cogeneration technology to improve local energy efficiency and security, while reducing fossil fuel consumption and overall site emissions.
“Royal Pride Holland’s installation of the J624 engines is just one example of how GE’s technology can be deployed to support a variety of cogeneration and onsite power projects to help our customers meet their operational and competitive requirements,” said Prady Iyyanki, CEO of GE Energy’s Jenbacher gas engine business.
GE’s cogeneration technology ecomagination certified
GE Energy’s portfolio of Jenbacher cogeneration applications - including for greenhouses - recently received ecomagination certification under GE’s corporate initiative to offer customers advanced technologies to help meet their pressing environmental challenges. To earn ecomagination certification a technology must pass a stringent, independent audit and offer customers definite economic and environmental advantages over existing products. CHP plants are inherently more energy efficient because they consume less fossil fuel than separate power and heating systems, thus supporting the Netherlands’ emissions reduction efforts.
With a total efficiency level of 95%, GE’s 8MW Jenbacher cogeneration plant offers Royal Pride Holland’s greenhouse an economical supply of on-site electrical and thermal power to support its operations.
Royal Pride Holland had previously installed nine of GE’s 3MW, JMS 620 Jenbacher units at the same location. The Royal Pride Holland plant is supported by a full service maintenance agreement that will cover the units for up to 60,000 operating hours or 15 years of service.
The J624 GS engine becomes commercially available to global customers beginning in 2009. GE’s most powerful Jenbacher model to enter commercial service, the J624 GS is a high-speed engine that combines the benefits of high-power density, low installation and operational costs, and a low fuel consumption level. The new engine model provides the same high reliability as offered by the entire Jenbacher gas engine portfolio.
