City of Cleveland schedules additional meetings on proposed CREG Center

OEPA extends comment period until February 23, 2012

On Thursday, January 26, 2012 Cleveland Public Power Commissioner Ivan Henderson will lead the second in a series of Community Meetings on the City of Cleveland’s proposed Cleveland Recycling and Energy Generation Center (CREG).

Commissioner Henderson will be joined by Ron Owens, Commissioner of the Division of Waste and Jenita McGowan, Chief of Sustainability for the City of Cleveland to offer insight on the plans proposed for the Ridge Road Transfer Station.

The panel will offer a presentation outlining the project followed by a question and answer period. Residents will have three minutes to offer a comment or pose a question.

Additional community meetings will be held on February 8, 2012 at Cudell Recreation Center, 1910 West Blvd.; and February 9, 2012 at Harvard Community Services Center, 18240 Harvard Ave.

Residents wishing to submit comments to the Ohio EPA regarding the draft air permit, please submit them to David Hearne, Cleveland Division of Air Quality, 75 Erieview Plaza, Suite 200, Cleveland, Ohio 44114. The deadline for submission has been extended until February 23, 2012.

WHO:     CPP Commissioner Ivan Henderson

Division of Waste Commissioner Ron Owens

Chief of Sustainability Jenita McGowan

WHAT:    Community Meeting on CREG Center

 WHEN:   Thursday, January 26, 2012

6-9 p.m.

WHERE:     Zelma George Recreation Center

3155 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

White Paper says Waste-to-Energy projects have significant benefits

The City of Cleveland and its electric utility Cleveland Public Power have been investigating the merits of a waste-to-energy facility for more than two years to ensure they had the best viable option to present to the community.

Many in the environmental community have come out against the project citing White Papers from 2009 and exaggerated numbers as the basis for their opposition.

Just last week, The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) released a White Paper entitled, “Waste-to-Energy Facilities Provide Significant Economic Benefits.”

It is a good read and they utilize information from facilities that are currently operating in the United States. Key to this paper is that they also give a little glimpse into why failed projects are not the norm.

So if you want to know more about utilizing waste to produce energy check out their White Paper here.

If you want to hear more from the City of Cleveland, please join us for a Community Meeting on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at Estabrook Recreation Center, 4125 Fulton Rd. The meeting is from 6-9 p.m. and will include a question and answer session after the presentation.

Eastabrook Recreation Center site of Community Meeting on CREG Center

On Thursday, January 19, 2012 Cleveland Public Power Commissioner Ivan Henderson will lead the first of a series of Community Meetings on the City of Cleveland’s proposed Cleveland Recycling and Energy Generation Center (CREG).

Commissioner Henderson will be joined by Ron Owens, Commissioner of the Division of Waste and Jenita McGowan, Chief of Sustainability for the City of Cleveland to offer insight on the plans proposed for the Ridge Road Transfer Station.

The panel will offer a presentation outlining the project followed by a question and answer period.

Residents wishing to submit comments to the Ohio EPA regarding the draft air permit, please submit them to David Hearne, Cleveland Division of Air Quality, 75 Erieview Plaza, Suite 200, Cleveland, Ohio 44114. The current deadline for submission is January 23, 2012. If the deadline is extended, the City of Cleveland will send additional notices announcing the extension.

The City will also host a meeting on January 26, 2012 from 6-9 p.m. at the Zelma George Recreation Center, 3155 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

WHO:        CPP Commissioner Ivan Henderson

                  Division of Waste Commissioner Ron Owens

                   Chief of Sustainability Jenita McGowan

WHAT:        Community Meeting on CREG Center

 WHEN:       Thursday, January 19, 2012

                     6-9 p.m.

 WHERE:     Estabrook Recreation Center

                    4125 Fulton Road

City of Cleveland to host Community Meetings on proposed CREG Center

CLEVELAND – On Thursday, January 19, 2012 Cleveland Public Power Commissioner Ivan Henderson will lead the first of a series of Community Meetings on the City of Cleveland’s proposed Cleveland Recycling and Energy Generation Center (CREG).

Commissioner Henderson will be joined by Ron Owens, Commissioner of the Division of Waste and Jenita McGowan, Chief of Sustainability for the City of Cleveland to offer insight on the plans proposed for the Ridge Road Transfer Station.

The panel will offer a presentation outlining the project followed by a question and answer period.

Residents wishing to submit comments to the Ohio EPA regarding the draft air permit, please submit them to David Hearne, Cleveland Division of Air Quality, 75 Erieview Plaza, Suite 200, Cleveland, Ohio 44114. The current deadline for submission is January 23, 2012. If the deadline is extended, the City of Cleveland will send additional notices announcing the extension.

The City will also host a meeting on January 26, 2012 from 6-9 p.m. at the Zelma George Recreation Center, 3155 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

For more information visit www.cpp.org/CREGCenter.html or follow us on twitter – @cppgreen

Proposed CREG Center will increase recycling, generate electricity, reduce costs and create jobs in Cleveland

The Cleveland Recycling and Energy Generation Center (CREG) will allow Cleveland to maximize recycling, reduce dumping at landfills, and generate electricity while reducing city operating costs and creating jobs. It is a sustainable solution to the economic and environmental challenges of waste disposal and the need for alternative energy sources today and in the future. The net effect of the CREG Center will reduce the City’s overall carbon footprint.

Here are some facts about how the CREG Center will work:

• The City of Cleveland will implement automated trash pick up and curbside recycling citywide. Every household will receive a container for recyclable materials to be placed out for convenient pick up.
• Recyclables and municipal waste will be taken to a state-of-the-art material recovery facility (MRF) where waste will be sorted to ensure that all recyclable materials are recovered, and that hazardous materials, including products containing mercury, are removed from the waste stream.
• Recyclables will be sold, creating an additional revenue source for the City. Hazardous materials will be disposed of properly. And the remaining municipal solid waste will be converted into fuel pellets.
• The fuel pellets will then be gasified to create steam. This steam will do two jobs: generate electricity and then sterilize additional waste prior to pelletization.
• The facility itself is projected to create up to 150 new jobs.

 Understanding the impact.

• Gasification is not incineration. Rather, high heat and limited oxygen convert batches of solid waste fuel pellets into a synthetic gas and ash. The synthetic gas can be used to generate steam and therefore electricity. Potentially, the ash could be used to create decorative bricks, creating an additional revenue stream.
• Emissions: What we put into the gasification process determines what comes out as emissions. The CREG Center will use a stringent pre-sort process to remove both recyclables and products containing harmful substances like mercury in an effort to reduce or prevent toxic emissions. In other words, if we don’t allow mercury and other toxins into the gasification process, we will not have mercury and other toxins coming out of the gasification process.
• Truck traffic:  Overall, truck traffic will slightly increase – by about one trip (a truck either coming or going) per hour during daily truck operation times. The increase will be due to the additional trucks needed for citywide curbside recycling pickup. This increase is offset in part by a decrease of 20 tractor-trailer trips per day. Currently tractor-trailers are used primarily to haul waste to the landfill. With the CREG Center, the majority of the tractor-trailer trips will be to recycling mills.

To learn more about the project visit http://www.cpp.org/CREGCenter.html

CREG Center – What is gasification?

In the simplest terms gasification is the process of turning a solid into a gas; however when discussing the Cleveland Recycling Energy Generation (CREG) Center a more appropriate definition would be the creation of fuel gas from municipal solid waste.

Gasification is commonly mistaken as being synonymous with incineration; however the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a definition of a Municipal Waste Combustor which aligns itself with the process proposed for the CREG Center.

According to the Federal Register the definition is as follows:

 “Municipal waste combustor, MWC, or municipal combustor unit: (1) Means any setting or equipment that combusts solid, liquid, or gasified MSW including, but not limited to, field-erected incinerators (with or without heat recovery), modular incinerators (starved-air or excess-air), boilers (i.e., steam-generating units), furnaces (whether suspension-fired, grate-fired, mass-fired, or air curtain incinerators, or fluidized bed-fired), and pyrolosis/combustion units.”

Key to the success of this method is the removal of harmful pollutants before gasification.

The steps taken at the CREG Center to lower emissions are:

Municipal Solid Waste will be:

• Sorted at the material recovery facility to remove additional recyclables and items that contain harmful pollutants;
• Shredded and prepared for pelletization;
• Made into pellets;
• Gasified and converted to a synthetic gas (syngas) that is similar to natural gas;
• The syngas will be combusted like natural gas to fire a boiler that produces steam for electric generation; and
• Emissions will be controlled through state of the art air pollution control equipment.

To make sure you have the facts about the CREG Center, visit www.cpp.org/CREGCenter.html

Curbside Recycling – A Key Component of CREG Center

As the City of Cleveland takes on the challenge of reaching its Sustainability, Advanced Energy Portfolio Standard and Recycling goals it is looking to the Cleveland Recycling and Energy Generation (CREG) Center as one answer in achieving these missions.

A key component of that mission is recycling household waste. The City currently operates a curbside recycling program which started as a Pilot program servicing about 15,000 households in 2007. Each year the City has added additional households, and to date there are approximately 45,000 households participating in curbside recycling. Additionally, residents who are not a part of the curbside program have the option to bring their recyclables to the Ridge Road Transfer Station.

The Center will allow the City to accelerate its efforts to implement a city-wide curbside recycling program. The accelerated program will working in conjunction with a state-of-the-art Material Recovery Facility allowing the City to extract additional recyclables ensuring that only the smallest amount of waste is sent to landfills.

The Material Recovery Facility will allow the City to handle its recyclables locally, whereas today they are shipped out of state.

By including curbside recycling as part of this Center, the city is capitalizing on the most comprehensive plan for reducing, recycling and recovering resources from Cleveland’s municipal solid waste.

For more information on the CREG Center visit www.cpp.org/CREGCenter.html

What is the CREG Center?

The Cleveland Recycling & Energy Generation Center (CREG Center) is a comprehensive solution to Cleveland’s recycling and energy needs. It is the result of more than four years worth of research into ways in which the City of Cleveland can become a more sustainable entity through the reduction of its operating costs and its carbon footprint, the reduction in its reliance on the open market for energy and the ability to create new revenue streams and create jobs.

Four years ago Mayor Frank G. Jackson mandated Cleveland Public Power to increase its advanced renewable energy sources in the generation and purchase of power. The goals he set forth were 15% by 2015, 20% by 2020 and 25% by 2025. To that end, Cleveland Public Power has researched the ways in which they can achieve that goal, and garner a positive impact for the entire region. The utility looked at hydro, wind, landfill gas and other options before choosing gasification – a decision that will not only help CPP, but the entire City and the region.

The establishment of The CREG Center will accelerate the City of Cleveland’s curbside recycling program and will divert 90-95% of its municipal solid waste away from landfills. The carbon footprint of the City will be reduced due to a decrease in outbound truck traffic to landfills from both Cleveland and some adjoining communities. In addition to helping the environment by reducing the City’s reliance on landfill space, the Center will result in a financial savings to the City through lower tipping fees. Finally, post recycled waste that does not have harmful pollutants will be turned into fuel pellets, that can ultimately be converted to 15 megawatts of electricity.

The CREG Center works well for the City of Cleveland because trash collection is still handled by the City and Cleveland Public Power could benefit from the electricity generated. Most importantly the project would move Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s vision of a “zero waste” and sustainable community forward.

CPP offers customers savings

Cleveland Public Power & Efficiency Smart are helping residential and business electric utility customers to save money and energy this fall by mailing them valuable money-saving coupons for energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting (CFL).These coupons will arrive in the mail this fall when

efficient lighting is needed most.

“We are getting into the season when lights need to be on longer due to days getting darker earlier, so we want to encourage utility customers to use CFLs instead of incandescent lighting,” stated Cleveland Public Power Commissioner Ivan Henderson. “Lighting is 20 to 30% of a typical residential el

CPP customers, check your mailbox for these coupons!

ectric bill. You can save up to 67% of the cost to light your home by replacing all incandescent lights with CFLs.  It makes economic sense to switch out as many light bulbs that are less efficient as possible. The quality of CFLs has greatly improved over the past several years, and they can be used in a variety of places and ways, including indoor and outdoor flood lights, recessed cans and dimmable lighting locations.”

Customers of Cleveland Public Power will receive $26 of coupons that may be redeemed for at least 14 CFLs. By replacing 14 incandescent lights, customers can save up to $518 over the life of the bulbs. The coupons will be accepted at any store that has GE brand CFLs in stock and that accepts manufacturer coupons. A list of participating stores can be found in the home lighting section of the www.EfficiencySmart.org website. Utility customers can expect to receive the coupon mailing during the 1^st or 2^nd week of November. The offer will expire on December 31, 2011.

Efficiency Smart also provides a guide to help consumers choose the right light for the right location on their website www.efficiencysmart.org. To learn more about Efficiency Smart initiatives to help customers save money and energy, visit the website, or call Efficiency Smart customer support at 877-889-3777.

Efficiency Smart services include rebates for energy-efficient appliances and lighting, financial rebates and free removal of old, inefficient refrigerators and freezers from homes, and rebates for over 70 energy-efficient products and services for businesses. Efficiency Smart also offers account management services and customized incentives for large commercial and industrial customers. Efficiency Smart was established by American Municipal Power for the benefit of its member communities. It is administered under contract with the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation. Operations are based in Columbus, OH.

Mayor Jackson, CPP cut ribbon on Solar Photovoltaic Concentrators

AMP President & CEO Marc Gerken, Public Works Director Michael Cox, Council President Martin Sweeney, Mayor Frank G. Jackson, Bernard Sater, Public Utilities Director Barry Withers, Neil Sater and CPP Commissioner Ivan Henderson cut the ribbon. (Photo by Shelley M. Shockley)

Today, Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Cleveland Public Power officials were joined by representatives from American Municipal Power (AMP) and GreenField Solar to cut the ribbon on the StarGen™ Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Concentrators at Cleveland’s Rockefeller Greenhouse.

The Solar PV Concentrator project is a collaborative effort between CPP, AMP, GreenField Solar and the City of Cleveland Rockefeller Greenhouse to provide an alternative energy approach which utilizes one of our greatest natural resources, the sun. The concentrators produce both electricity and thermal energy. The thermal energy will be piped into the Rockefeller Greenhouse to provide heating while the electricity will go back to the electric grid.

The ribbon-cutting marked another step in CPP’s efforts to meet Mayor Jackson’s goal for the utility to have 15 percent of its energy produced from advanced and renewable energy sources by 2015.

Mayor Jackson said, “This innovative project is a step in the right direction.  By advancing the use of renewable and advanced energy, we are moving towards creating a sustainable economy by the year 2019 that also supports the creation of jobs while preserving our natural resources.”

The Solar PV Concentrators are solar powered PV electric generators that track the sun to focus its light onto high performance solar cells, which then convert the sun’s energy to electricity through compact PV cells.

Cleveland Public Utilities Director Barry A. Withers said, “This project exemplifies the success of public-private partnerships in advancing the efforts of the City of Cleveland. Here the City is working with AMP and GreenField Solar to produce clean renewable energy for one of the City’s great assets, the Rockefeller Greenhouse.”

The technology behind the PV concentrators was designed locally, something Cleveland Public Power Commissioner Ivan Henderson applauded, “This project showcases not only the good things that the City of Cleveland and Cleveland Public Power are doing to reduce the region’s carbon footprint, but also exhibits the knowledgebase in the area. These concentrators were designed right here in northeast Ohio by a former NASA scientist. We are committed to Cleveland and the surrounding region.”

One of the key partners in this project was AMP the non-profit, wholesale electric supplier and services provider for municipal electric member communities. Cleveland Public Power is the organization’s largest member.

“AMP is proud to be a part of this important project,” AMP President/CEO Marc Gerken said. “We share Cleveland’s commitment to a diversified and responsible power supply portfolio for our member communities. This project demonstrates public power’s ability to embrace evolving technology and work in partnership with private entities to support innovation to the benefit of all.”