Date: July 28, 2011
Source: Chrin Brothers Inc.
Chrin Brothers Inc. (Easton, PA) unveiled a new $8 million landfill gas-to-energy plant at its Glendon Green Energy Park across from its landfill in Easton, PA. Methane gas from the Chrin Landfill in Williams Township south of Interstate 78 is piped under the highway through a 400-foot tunnel into a plant containing two Caterpillar engines, which together will produce 3.2 megawatts of electricity or enough to power 2,200 homes. A division of PPL Renewable Energy called Millennium Design Builders designed, built and is now operating the plant. The project received $1 million in federal stimulus funding through a grant provided by the Pennsylvania Economic Development Authority.
FROM THE COMPANY WEBSITE
"Chrinergy®" Debuts At PPL-Chrin Green Energy Power Station Dedication
Easton, PA (July 27, 2011)
There is a new word in the environmental vocabulary, yet its roots go back more than one-half century. The word is "CHRINERGY®", and it officially enters the lexicon of the Lehigh Valley and beyond with the July 27th dedication of the new alterantive energy as in landfill-gas-to-electricity plant located in the new Chrin Green Energy Park complex in Glendon Borough just across I-78 from the Chrin Landfill.
The Chrin family, headed by Charles Chrin, has for more than five decades been devoted to establishing and developing a network of environmentally related businesses, starting with the Chrin Landfill in Williams Township. In the extended Chrin family, everybody learns the business from the ground up, literally.
Charlie's love of the land he still relishes getting his hands into the rich soil today by farming hundreds of acres in the region has been the driving force behind The Charles Chrin Companies. Besides the Chrin Landfill in Williams Township, the company provides diversified environmental services including waste and recycling hauling, LEED-certified material management, residential and commercial development (including the Chrin Commerce Centre), site contracting, quarrying, and related services.
"Preserve, protect and promote the natural environment," he says, describing the term that the family collectively coined. "Every one in our family and in our companies which are our extended family feel close to the environment through what we do and share a dedication to respect it through our actions, every day." CHRINERGY®, says son Greg Chrin, is a natural byproduct of the hard work of the entire Chrin team in transforming the once undeveloped industrial section of Glendon Borough into the region's newest green energy production facility.
"Our attitude from day one was positive, starting with confronting what some viewed as a huge obstacle; boring a 400-foot tunnel under I-78 to set the stage for delivering the landfill gas to the dual-generator facility," explains Greg. "We were literally between a rock and a hard place, and CHRINERGY® was that extra momentum that powered our entire in-house team and outside contractors to bore through that solid rock with literally laser precision. Adding to the sense of accomplishment is knowing that we all worked shoulder to shoulder through extreme weather conditions at times to link the landfill and the power station."
Greg's son, Charles, was part of the crew dedicated to welding section after section of the underground pipe network, and describes the feeling of accomplishment as the project now helps fuel the mounting energy needs of the Lehigh Valley. "Thanks to my family, and particularly my grandfather, we are helping to change environmental perspectives and focus on a future of energy production that is clean and green.
Dave Chismar's last name isn't "Chrin" but he knows like every family member what CHRINERGY® feels like having worked on the Glendon project from the start, serving as project manager for the Chrin side of the partnership. "It's an incredible sense of satisfaction knowing that the plant is up and running and helping to meet the electricity demand of our neighbors and friends where we work and live", explains Chismar. "We measure output of energy in BTUs, but in our world we get even more excited knowing that because of this project more than 100 people will eventually be working in new jobs in the green energy park next door."
That, too, is CHRINERGY®.
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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Krancer promotes renewable energy at dedication for new landfill gas-to-energy project in Glendon Borough, Northampton County
Glendon, PA (July 27, 2011)
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Michael Krancer, Esq., today promoted the substantial benefits of renewable energy at the dedication ceremony for the new landfill gas-to-energy power project in Glendon Borough's new Green Energy Park.
Secretary Krancer, in flipping the over-sized ceremonial ignition switch at the 3.2-megawatt facility, said, " This clean-energy project is another outstanding example of how Pennsylvania embraces and its citizens benefit from public-private partnerships to generate renewable energy. And, given the recent severe heat weave, there is no better time for this project to be helping to meet the demand for electricity here in Pennsylvania."
The partners are Chrin Brothers, Inc., the landfill owner-operator that is providing the gas and played a key role in site preparation, and Millennium Design Builders, which designed, built, and now operates the dual-generator facility. Government participation was in the form of a $1 million state economic stimulus grant provided through the Pennsylvania Economic Development Authority. Collectively, the $8 million project is expected to reduce greenhouse gases annually by 40 million pounds the equivalent of removing 3,400 cars from the road.
The plant, located about one-half mile from the Chrin Landfill across Interstate 78, is connected to the landfill by a newly constructed underground tunnel-pipeline. The plant is now operating and is expected to produce about 25 million kilowatt-hours each year, enough electricity to power 2,200 homes.
"This is a great project that is a testament to a terrific team and critical support from the Commonwealth that never lost faith in our ability to do this and do it right," said Charles Chrin, president of The Chrin Bros, Inc. "Today, clean renewable energy is being generated from landfill gas and soon we expect the adjacent Green Energy Park manufacturing sites to be home to new jobs, making use of alternative energy, and employing upwards of 160 men and women. The entire region will benefit from these projects."
Millennium Design Builders designs, constructs and operates and maintains renewable and clean energy projects in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States. They have constructed over 50 megawatts of solar, wind, landfill gas-to-energy and fuel cell projects enough to power 34,000 homes.
Chrin Brothers, Inc. is a diversified, independent, family-owned and operated Lehigh Valley organization that was founded in 1955. Besides the Chrin Landfill in Williams Township, the company provides waste and recycling hauling services including LEED-certified material management, agricultural, commercial (including the Chrin Commerce Centre) and residential development, site contracting, quarrying, and related services. It proudly and directly supports the efforts of numerous local youth, community and environmental non-profit organizations.
To learn more about Chrin Brothers, visit: www.chrin.org.
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