Peterborough Utilities Inc. has announced three new renewable generation facilities are now in commercial operation.
The utility company recently expanded the London Street hydro power generating station on the Otonabee River to produce an additional six megawatts, bringing the station’s total capacity up to 10 megawatts — alone enough to power 4,000 homes.
There’s also the facility located at Kinsmen Civic Centre, developed in partnership with the City of Peterborough, which can produce 431 kilowatts, and the 380-kilowatt biogas-fueled heat and power project at the City’s waste water treatment plant.
Two additional rooftop solar projects are also under construction and scheduled to be complete by the end of August.
With the successful completion of all these projects, the utility’s total renewable generation capacity will equal 36.8 megawatts. Peterborough Utilities will produce around 120,000 megawatt hours of green energy each year, sufficient to meet the electricity needs of around 12,000 homes.
During the 2003 blackout, power from the London Street station was used to keep the Peterborough Regional Health Centre operating. The increased output from the new generating station, as well as increasing the percentage of green power in the City of Peterborough, could be used in similar situations in the future.
