PPL an MVP on the renewable energy playing field

When the Philadelphia Eagles embarked on a mission to “Go Green,” the team called on PPL Renewable Energy to help them with their game plan.

PPL Renewable Energy developed an innovative solar power facility that rotates to follow the sun’s movement, harnessing as much solar energy as possible throughout the day to help power the team’s training center in Philadelphia.

With the national spotlight shining brighter on alternative energy sources, it’s projects like this one that help PPL Renewable Energy stand out from the crowd.

The PPL subsidiary is meeting increased competition head on by offering its clients creative solutions and customized products that add another dimension to renewable energy projects already under way.

Since 2002, PPL has been developing, building and operating renewable energy facilities throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The company currently operates and is developing a total of 65 megawatts of generation capacity that includes solar, methane gas-to-electricity, fuel cells and cogeneration projects.

“Working on projects from development to operation has made everyone on our team an expert on renewable energy,” said Kurt Zwerko, vice president of PPL Renewable Energy. “It gives us an edge in an increasingly competitive market.

“We work closely with clients and build projects that meet their power needs and benefit the community and other partners,” he said. “It’s exciting to see how some of these projects evolve over time.”

These dual-benefit projects started with the Frey Farm Landfill in Lancaster County, Pa. That project not only generates electricity using methane produced by the landfill but also uses the excess engine heat to produce steam for the neighboring Turkey Hill Dairy. The novelty of the installation was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a 2006 Project of the Year.

At the Pennsauken Renewable Energy Park in Camden County, N.J., what started out as a landfill gas-to-electricity project eventually became an extensive renewable energy facility that includes the largest solar power installation east of the Mississippi.

The Pennsauken Renewable Energy Park consists of three power generating facilities. A gas-to-energy power plant at the Pennsauken Sanitary Landfill and a solar power plant at Aluminum Shapes produce power for the aluminum manufacturing company, and a solar power plant at the landfill powers the landfill gas-to-energy operation.

“Pennsauken is a great example of a successful partnership between private companies and public organizations,” said Steve Gabrielle, business development manager for PPL Renewable Energy. “What started as a typical landfill gas project has grown into a 15-acre renewable energy park because of the cooperation among all the organizations working on this project.”

The creativity PPL Renewable Energy is bringing to technical solutions also has carried over to another important element of the alternative energy market — awareness. While working with the Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority in Lebanon County, Pa., to build a landfill gas-to-electricity plant, Gabrielle helped the authority develop an educational facility that will host hundreds of students annually.

The project now includes solar and wind power demonstrations and is a model for how PPL Renewable Energy is going beyond simply meeting customer needs. The joint efforts of PPL and the Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority to raise awareness about the benefits of renewable energy caught the attention of the EPA and garnered the 2007 “Community Partner of the Year Award.”

PPL develops, owns, operates and maintains these facilities. “One of PPL’s competitive advantages is that we can offer customers one-stop shopping,” Zwerko said.

For example, PPL Renewable Energy developed the Greater Lebanon project while one of PPL’s mechanical contracting companies, Millennium Builders, managed the construction and another subsidiary, McClure Co., performed the mechanical work. In addition, PPL EnergyPlus markets the output of the project including the energy, capacity and renewable energy credits.

“Not only has the facility at Greater Lebanon received accolades from the EPA and other environmental agencies, it also has gotten the attention of existing and potential PPL Renewable Energy clients,” Gabrielle said. “Our projects show we can offer creative renewable energy solutions, and we can handle these projects from start to finish and beyond. Clients interested in that type of service know that PPL will help them get the job done.”