GE and its customer Houweling’s Tomatoes, a leading North American greenhouse grower, recently unveiled the first combined heat and power (CHP) greenhouse project in America that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) for use in plant fertilization. Using two of GE’s 4.36-megawatt (MW), ecomagination-qualified Jenbacher J624 two-staged turbocharged natural gas engines and a GE-designed CO2 fertilization system, the plant provides heat, power and CO2 to Houweling’s 125-acre tomato greenhouse in Camarillo, California.

The first greenhouse CHP project in the U.S. also gives an added boost to California’s goal to generate 6,500 MW of new CHP generation in the state by 2020. The project represents the launch of GE’s J624 two-staged turbocharged gas engines for the 60 Hz segment and the first of these engines sold in the U.S. Introduced by GE in 2007, the J624 is the world’s first 24-cylinder gas engine for commercial power generation and can be used in various applications. It also is the first gas engine featuring double turbocharging, which makes it even more efficient.  Read the full press release here.

Travis Dauwalter, Business Development Leader, GE Gas Engines, presented an overview of the CHP with carbon capture project.  As the CHP and Biogas business development leader for GE’s Gas Engines, Travis Dauwalter drives growth in North America through focused engagement with end-users, industry stakeholders, and policy makers.  Travis received his MBA from Pennsylvania State University and his BSc in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy.