FlexEnergy and DoD Announce the First Commercial System to Generate Clean Energy from Low-Quality Landfill Methane with Near-Zero Emissions
Top Government and Business Leaders Commemorate FlexEnergy's 250 kW Clean Energy Installation at Fort Benning, GA
FORT BENNING, Ga. - FlexEnergy Inc. (www.flexenergy.com) an energy technology company based in Irvine, California, celebrated the successful installation and operation of the first commercial deployment of its Flex Powerstation(TM) FP250 system on November 8, 2011 at the Department of Defense's (DoD) Fort Benning, GA Army post. The Flex Powerstation(TM), the only turbine to offer both pollution control and energy generation, converts previously wasted landfill gas into 250 kW of renewable electricity, which is enough energy to power 250 homes. The clean energy produced has near-zero emissions and will reduce both the Army's carbon footprint and its bottom line.
"FlexEnergy is pleased to be providing a renewable source of energy for our nation's security operations, while at the same time protecting our environment," said Brad Hancock, Director of Federal Programs for FlexEnergy Inc., and former Deputy Director of Facilities Energy for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. "I am proud to be part of the FlexEnergy team as we dedicate the Flex Powerstation, which will deliver energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reduction and more energy security at Fort Benning," Hancock said.
FlexEnergy's breakthrough technology converts methane into usable clean electricity. The system architecture and proprietary technology allows the Flex Powerstation to utilize all sources of methane gas, even low-quality gas from closed landfills. The Fort Benning installation is running on previously unusable methane gas and produces a cost-effective source of renewable power. Throughout the last year, FlexEnergy has created over a hundred new American jobs.
Among the distinguished speakers that attended the Fort Benning ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the successful installation and operation, include Richard Kidd, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Energy & Sustainability); Dr. Jeffrey Marqusee, Executive Director of the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and Director of the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP); Dr. Stan Meiburg, Deputy Regional Administrator, Region 4, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency; and Michael Johns, Vice President of Engineering for the Southern Research Institute.
At the event, Dr. Marqusee stated, "I think it's a great testament that this is operating effectively, and I think it shows it can be replicated in installations across DoD, and in the private sector as well."
And, Richard Kidd remarked, "We are converting what was once a waste stream, a pollutant, a contaminant, and a liability, in to what will be a resource going forward."
The Fort Benning Flex Powerstation Project is funded by the DoD Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), which seeks innovative and cost-effective technologies to address high-priority environmental and energy requirements for the DoD.
"We have a lot of very old landfills, and the energy content of the waste is very, very low," explained Dr. Dorothy Robyn, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment, at the GovEnergy 2011 conference. "This is a technology that will allow us to produce electricity from low-Btu content waste," Robyn said.
About FlexEnergy Inc:
FlexEnergy Inc (www.flexenergy.com) is the developer of the world's cleanest energy platforms, transforming one of the world's largest sources of greenhouse gases (low quality methane) from a source of pollution into a clean energy source. FlexEnergy Inc manufactures a product line of turbines with the lowest emissions and widest fuel flexibility. The energy-efficient Flex Turbine(TM) MT250 is the leader in its class with hundreds of thousands of field operating hours burning methane or natural gas. The Flex Powerstation FP250 with the patented thermal oxidizer is the only turbine which offers both pollution control and energy generation. FlexEnergy Inc is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. with manufacturing and service facilities in Portsmouth, N.H. and Mocksville, N.C.
For more information, visit www.flexenergy.com.
FlexEnergy Inc Investors include SAIL Capital Partners, a cleantech investment firm with unique global insight into technologies, markets and opportunities (www.sailcapital.com), and RNS Capital Partners, a closely held private equity firm with investments in energy services, clean technology and education (www.rnscapitalpartners.com).
SOURCE
FlexEnergy Inc.
CONTACT: Christine Bock or Katie Christopher, +1-202-974-5084, bockc@ruderfinn.com or christopherk@ruderfinn.com, Ruder Finn for FlexEnergy
