What You Should Know About Sustainable Power Generation Solutions
24 June 2021
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and keeping costs down was the number one priority for Tervita when looking for a temporary electric power solution for a new gas processing facility just south of Grande Prairie, Alberta.
As a leading Canadian provider of environmental, waste management and energy, Tervita is always looking for ways to deliver services that are environmentally friendly. Bi-fuel (CNG) generation was quickly identified as a possible replacement for more traditional fuel options because of its cleaner, lower emission profile.
If you’re also considering introducing CNG into your power generation solutions, here’s three things you should know.
It burns cleaner than diesel
Choosing CNG over diesel was new for Tervita but using an alternate fuel source resulted in substantial benefits for their client. CNG is a sustainable solution that offers significant cost-savings and extended maintenance intervals. Diesel engines require service every 500 hours, whereas the gas-powered engines only need servicing every 1,500 hours.
Tervita realized the benefits immediately after analyzing the reduction in GHG emissions. They also saw that they were meeting requirements for reliability, operating cost, lease footprint, and serviceability. Reduced number of service visits also means a reduction in miles driven, decreasing traffic and the potential for accidents.
It’s reliable
CNG is a proven power source for its reliability, scalability, and lower service costs. Natural gas generators met both Tervita’s operating and procurement standards and their goal of providing smaller to zero carbon services. According to Tervita, the power project was a success based on their ability to meet the customer’s needs within the required timeline.
The efficiencies and savings can be significant, but for Tervita, the overall results speak for themselves. Tervita saved 50% in fuel costs, approximately 33% in service-related costs and reduced GHG emissions by 44% or approximately 809 tonnes of CO2 equivalents. According to the EPA greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator this is approximately the same as taking 176 vehicles off the road for a period of a year.
The right partner is key
The right partner can help you find the best solutions for the type of generation and power required. Tervita partners with companies that share their commitment to continuous improvement and offering innovative solutions to clients.
According to Tervita, partnering with Finning in the early stages of project planning was key to the successful implementation and helped them deliver a unified and effective power strategy to their customer. Your equipment partner can support your engineering and operations teams to ensure alignment and bi-fuel compatibility. This coordination should continue into the field to ensure that the site implementation is seamless and without incident.
Finning provided Tervita with a temporary power solution which included two Cat XQ1475G natural gas engines and electrical distribution gear in addition to remote access monitoring capabilities. Customers can also use remote access monitoring to log in and see real-time data and monitor loads and fault codes on the equipment 24/7.
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Finning is the world's largest Caterpillar dealer, selling, renting and providing parts and service for equipment and engines to customers across diverse industries, including mining, construction, petroleum, forestry and a wide range of power systems applications. We operate in Western Canada, South America, and UK and Ireland.