Since 2001, AQMD has committed substantial resources to providing Capstone® microturbine generators to facilities in the four counties that the District serves. The microturbine generators enable the recipient facilities to generate their own power during times when power is in short supply, thus alleviating peak stress on the grid, reducing the likelihood of rolling blackouts that utilities will have to impose, and displacing emissions from the highest-emitting, least efficient peaking units in the District. Funding for this program comes from excess-emissions settlements reached with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) and the AES Corporation, and particulate emission mitigation fees paid by new power plants being installed in the District.

The Capstone® microturbine generator is a new on-site power generation technology (known generically as distributed generation.) Available in ratings of 30 or 60 kilowatts (kW), the Capstone® microturbine generator is suitable for a wide range of facility sizes. One unit is about the size of a refrigerator and can power a small business. Microturbine generators can be installed relatively quickly and require little maintenance. In addition to providing electricity, a heat exchanger can be used with the microturbine generator to generate hot water for building needs. Capable of operating on a variety of gaseous fuels, the Capstone® microturbine generator is low-polluting, much cleaner than the diesel generators that are commonly used for emergency standby power.

While AQMD has embarked on this program mainly as a response to the power crisis in Southern California, the program also promotes better air quality by fostering a new, clean technology for on-site power generation while simultaneously reducing the amount of high-polluting diesel generation that will occur during high-demand periods

A total of 207 microturbine generators have been installed, or are in the process of being installed, as part of this program in the four counties that AQMD serves. As part of AQMD's settlement with LADWP, 52 natural gas-fired 30-kW and 4 natural gas-fired 60-kW microturbine generators are being located in facilities in Los Angeles County. In addition, LADWP has installed 50 30-kW microturbine generators at its Lopez Canyon landfill that produce nearly 1.3 megawatts of electric power while burning landfill gas that would otherwise be burned uselessly in flares. In addition, LADWP has also installed 7 30-kW (natural gas) at other LADWP facilities. As part of AQMD's settlement with the AES Corporation, 17 natural gas-fired 60-kW microturbine generators and 14 30-kW microturbine generators fired by sewage digestor gas or oil field waste gas have been provided to facilities in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The recipients are mainly city and county facilities, schools, hospitals and sewage treatment plants.

The latest phase of the program is funded by particulate emission mitigation fees paid by large new power plants to be located in the District. This program is authorized by AQMD's Rule 1309.1 - Priority Reserve. Ten 30-kW microturbine generators (low-Btu type) have been provided to the Los Angeles County Calabassas Landfill, and 53 natural gas or propane-fired 60-kW microturbine generators will be provided to a number of sites in the four-county area. In addition to being used on a daily basis to provide electric power for each facility, the microturbine generators will also operate in conjunction with each facility's existing diesel engine generators to reduce the load and emissions from the diesel engines whenever they are required to operate during an electricity outage.

All combined, there are 133 30-kW and 74 60-kW microturbine generators included in this program that will have a capacity to generate about 7.6 megawatts of electric power, enough to power about 7,600 homes.

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