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TURLOCK IRRIGATION DISTRICT FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION GOES GREEN. The Turlock Irriga- Adding a fuel cell to the TID power resource port- tion District(TID) is leaving no stone unturned in folio furthers the District's objective of securing its quest to expand its power portfolio by adding at least 20% of it's energy from non-polluting non-polluting renewable energy resources when renewable resources by 2017. The District's ex- and wherever possible. isting inventory of renewable generation assets One of the District's latest endeavors is partner- ing with the City of Turlock to use gas created by the city's wastewater treatment plant digester Men hit to produce electricity with the addition of a 1.2 -megawatt fuel cell. Construction of the fuel cell is scheduled for early next summer, with comple- tion and commercial operation anticipated later in the summer. Fuel cells convert renewable digester gas into they electricity electrochemically rather than through / a combustion process. They operate hundreds of times cleaner than conventional power genera- tors and virtually eliminate emissions of nitrogen aim at. oxides, particulates and sulfur dioxides. Pending completion of the fuel cell, much of the Therefore digester gas produced by Turlock's wastewater / treatment plant is being used to operate three boilers that provide hot water used in the treat- mentthey process. Excess gas is allowed to flare off. Both TID and the City believe the plant conversion is an excellent way to benefit their respective cus- better tomer bases, as well as the environment overall. TID will secure a new source of base-load green power, while the City benefits from reducing air aim high . emissions and utilizing a valuable byproduct of itswastewater treatment plant operations. TID's 100,000 homes, farms, businesses, indus- tries and municipal accounts are located within a includes small hydro plants on the Tuolumne 622-square-mile electric service area embracing River and its irrigation canal system, as well as southern Stanislaus and northern Merced coun- part ownership of NCPA's two geothermal plants ties and small portions of Tuolumne and Mariposa in Northern California. counties. The District will own and maintain the fuel cell and sell the energy it creates to the City for use at the wastewater treatment plant at a rate based on TID's municipal rate. TID will pay the City of Turlock $.005 per kilowatt-hour for the digester gas it supplies.