OREANDA-NEWS. In May, Rolls-Royce and project developer P3P Partners signed a contract for the supply of four electricity generating sets. The gensets are based on medium speed 12-cylinder Type B35:40 gas engines from Bergen Engines and are destined for two combined heat and power (CHP) plants operated by P3P for British tomato growers APS Salads. Bergen Engines is part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems within the Land & Sea Division of Rolls-Royce.

Four gensets will go into service in two energy centres on behalf of the APS Salads greenhouses on the Isle of Wight in the south of England where APS Salads grows tomatoes for domestic supermarkets. Each of the gas-powered gensets will produce 5,605kW of electrical power and 6,415kW of heat. P3P will feed the generated electricity into the local grid, while the extracted heat from the exhaust gases and the engine cooling systems will be used to heat up the greenhouses. After cleaning the engine exhaust gases, they will be injected into the greenhouses to increase the CO2 content in order to promote plant growth.

Rolls-Royce had already supplied two generator sets to energy system provider P3P in 2013. “We are impressed by the reliability of the medium speed engines combined with the high electrical efficiency and good heat recovery,” said Julian Harris, Partner of P3P Partners.

Matthias Vogel, Head of Power Generation Business at Rolls-Royce Power Systems added: “We are very pleased that this order will underpin our successful cooperation with P3P and APS Salads.”

Rolls-Royce will be supplying the complete CHP for the greenhouses. It consists of the gensets and the exhaust gas systems including the Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system and heat exchangers. In total, the technology facilitates efficiency rates of more than 96%. In addition, the order covers the supply of electronic systems for controlling engines, generators and supplementary equipment.

Rolls-Royce will deliver the four gensets in November 2015 prior to scheduled commissioning of the CHP plants in January 2016. Rolls-Royce and P3P have also concluded a long term service agreement covering approximately 90,000 hours of operation over the 20 years following commissioning.