How the Calculator Works

The societal benefits of installing a Capstone MicroTurbine solution can be quantified by comparing its exhaust emissions, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas output to the traditional solution of obtaining electric power from a central utility power plant and thermal output from a local hot water heater or boiler. The figure below shows a comparison using data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the average US Power Plant, along with their emissions test results operating a Capstone MicroTurbine.

The US EPA also maintains a website with information on the NOx, CO2, and fuel consumption of the average US passenger vehicle. This data can be used to provide a practical comparison of the Capstone societal benefit versus the traditional approach by expressing the result in equivalent number of cars taken off the road. The calculations in the examples here average the contribution of NOx, CO2, and fuel consumption to achieve a conservative estimate of the equivalent number of passenger vehicles removed. The equivalent acres of pine and fir forest are based on CO2 reductions only. To estimate the societal benefit of installing Capstone microturbines at your location, select the average power usage that best matches your installation.

Back to the Calculator...