CHATSWORTH, Calif., Dec. 8, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.capstoneturbine.com) (Nasdaq:CPST), the world’s leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, announced today that it received an order from Optimal Group for three C1000 microturbines to upgrade D’VineRipe’s 27 hectare glasshouse located at Two Wells in South Australia.Optimal Group, Capstone’s Australian distributor, secured the order, which is expected to be installed and commissioned in April 2015. Earlier this year, Capstone received an order from Optimal Group for fifty C65 microturbines with integrated heat exchangers for the launch of its microturbine based rental fleet. The D’VineRipe glasshouse project will increase the total amount of Capstone microturbine power in Australia to 18MW.
According to the National Farmers’ Federation, 99 percent of Australian farm businesses are family owned and operated. Agricultural commodities play a vital role in Australia, contributing to social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
D’VineRipe is one of the largest producers of glasshouse grown tomatoes in Australia. The facility is fully reliant on power from diesel generators to help produce quality vine ripened tomatoes for local markets. As a part of its Two Wells site expansion, D’VineRipe explored solutions that would both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide more reliable power. The benefits of implementing Capstone microturbines and the flexibility of the application made for an easy decision to switch from the facility’s aging diesel generator sets.
This Australian glasshouse uses Capstone microturbines for reliable power with low emissions.
“We were attracted to the Capstone Microturbine technology with its ability to respond rapidly to load fluctuations due to its unique inverter based control system and onboard battery pack,” said Byron Mason, Project Manager for D’VineRipe. “The three natural gas powered C1000s will reduce our reliance on diesel, reduce our cost of power, and reduce our CO2 emissions. The Capstone Microturbine solution will be the backbone of our future power needs,” added Mason.
“Electricity prices in Australia have nearly doubled over the past few years,” said Jim Crouse, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Capstone Turbine. “We see Australia and South America as potentially high growth markets as local businesses start exploring the economic and environmental advantages our microturbines offer over conventional reciprocating diesel generators,” added Crouse.