NORTH RIDGEVILLE The Ohio Department of Development awarded a $1 million federal stimulus grant to help with the installation of a sustainable energy system for the wastewater treatment plant.
quasar energy group’s anaerobic digester will utilize methane, from sludge at the French Creek Wastewater Treatment Plan in Sheffield Village, to power a turbine and generate renewable energy that would power the plant.
“These funds give businesses the ability to literally convert waste into economic value,” Ohio Department of Development Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel said of $10 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s State Energy Program grant awards.
While the grant was officially awarded toquasar , North Ridgeville Safety Service Director Jeff Armbruster said the company’s bottom line directly correlates to the city’s.
“It’s a win for the city, and it certainly is a win for quasar , and quite honestly for all the residents throughout (North Ridgeville,) Avon and Sheffield,” he said.
Armbruster said the system will enable the plant to control energy costs, as the digester will generate approximately 5.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity and 13,850 million metric British Thermal Units of thermal heat annually. North Ridgeville will be able to buy that green energy from quasar at a reduced cost.
Additionally, the developing agreement between North Ridgeville and Cleveland-based quasar will solve ongoing operation issues at the plant, which serves North Ridgeville, Avon and Sheffield, sparing the city headaches and expenditures.
Mayor Dave Gillock explained the plant’s sludge was reclassified by the Environmental Protection Agency about four years ago, from Class A to Class B, complicating disposal.
quasar's anaerobic digesting system, however, will reduce 20.5 wet tons of biosolids generated daily, as well as re-establish its Class A status. The remaining sludge will then be removed by Kurtz Brothers Inc. and used in their landscaping business.
“This program does more than offer businesses an opportunity to grow and prosper; it accelerates Ohio’s position as an advanced energy leader by enhancing energy efficiency,” Patt-McDaniel said.
Lawyers representing North Ridgeville and quasar established an agreement, which Gillock said quasar is reviewing. City Council is set to address any additional funding of the project at its next meeting on Monday.
When the contract is finalized, Gillock said he expects quasar could install the system within 90 days, weather permitting.
Contact Meaney at (216) 986-6068.
