The New York Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced the installation of three new boilers and a new exhaust capture system at the Port Richmond Wastewater Treatment Plant on Staten Island. The $30 million project builds toward the OneNYC initiative of achieving net-zero energy use at the city’s wastewater treatment plants by 2050.
Earlier this year, in a partnership between DEP, the city’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services and ConEdison Solutions, one of the city’s largest rooftop solar arrays was activated at the Port Richmond facility. The solar array will generate approximately 1.6 million kilowatt hours and will supply as much as 10 percent of the plant’s power needs.
Prior to the installation of the solar array, upgrades to the 200,000 square foot roof of the facility were completed and, as part of this process, the city’s largest cool roof was installed. The cool roof reduces the amount of energy absorbed by the roof and reflects more light back to the solar panels, increasing their output. ConEdison owns and will maintain the solar array, and the city can purchase the electricity.
DEP operates 14 wastewater treatment plants throughout the city and is the third largest public energy user in New York City. To help to meet the city’s goal of achieving an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2050, an initiative was put in place to achieve net-zero energy use at the city’s wastewater treatment plants by 2050.
Photo via Shutterstock
