Calpine is one of America’s largest generators of electricity. We are also among the cleanest. We achieve this because our fleet predominantly consists of modern, efficient power plants that run on clean-burning natural gas. In addition, Calpine is the nation’s largest operator of renewable geothermal power plants and highly efficient cogeneration plants. As our nation implements environmental regulations, Calpine’s clean footprint provides us with a distinct competitive advantage. 

Clean Air

Our fleet’s fuel efficiency and advanced emission controls result in dramatically lower greenhouse gas, smog and acid rain producing emissions than older fossil fuel facilities, particularly coal-fired plants. 

Clean Water

Calpine is committed to minimizing the impact of power production on valuable and sometimes limited water resources in communities where we operate. We achieve this through the use of state-of-the-art technologies and innovative water sourcing that conserves millions of gallons of fresh water daily.

• Recirculating Technology: The majority of Calpine's efficient combined-cycle fleet uses recirculating cooling towers to provide cooling to the condensers that convert low-quality steam back into water after the useful energy has been extracted from the steam.
• Recycled Wastewater: Calpine works with communities around the nation to minimize its impact on fresh water supplies by using recycled municipal wastewater. Several of Calpine’s gas-fired plants use recycled wastewater for cooling, and at The Geysers, it is piped from nearby communities to sustain the geothermal steam reservoir.
• Dry Cooling: At our Otay Mesa Energy Center in an arid area of California, Calpine became an early adopter of dry-cooling technology, which eliminates the need to use fresh water sources such as groundwater or potable municipal water to cool recirculating steam. Our Fore River Energy Center in Massachusetts also incorporates dry-cooling technology.

Renewable

At The Geysers in Northern California, Calpine uses a natural, clean energy source – heat from the earth’s interior – to produce electricity. Because geothermal power plants do not burn fossil fuel, they have an inherent environmental advantage and are helping meet California’s clean air goals. And geothermal power is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Learn more about The Geysers and geothermal power.

Calpine’s flexible, quick-responding, natural-gas-fired fleet also plays a vital role in integrating other, intermittent sources of renewable energy into the grid, as they account for an increasing share of the nation’s generation capacity.