Diesels meet their match

Westport Innovations of Vancouver is to receive a $1-million repayable contribution from the Government of Canada to demonstrate, for the first time, that a low emissions natural gas engine can generate the fuel economy and performance of a diesel engine for stationary electric power generation.

Westport, through its joint venture Cummins Westport, will install a 1.6-megawatt power generator, equipped with Westport's patented natural gas fuel system, at a water/wastewater treatment facility in Grande Prairie, Alberta, early in 2002.

The new system operates at 40% thermal efficiency, which is comparable to diesel fuel generators, but reduces nitrogen oxides by 85% and carbon dioxide by up to 20% compared with diesel system levels.

The city of Grande Prairie has agreed to run the generator for a minimum of 6,000 hours during its first year. The generator will be connected to the provincial electricity grid, and any excess capacity will be exported to the Alberta Power Pool, the operator of the provincial electricity market.

The Government of Canada's $1-million contribution is repayable over 10 years. The repayment is based on 1% of Westport's share of revenue from engines for power generators. A portion of the funding came from the Technology Early Action Measures (TEAM) component of the Government of Canada's Climate Change Action Fund. TEAM focuses on supporting investments in the development and deployment of technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while sustaining economic and social development.