279th largest plant in Minnesota · 8349th nationally
St. Olaf Standby Generators is a oil power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 4.1 MW. It generates roughly 46 MWh per year — enough to power about 4 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 3952 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | St. Olaf Standby Generators |
|---|---|
| Operator | St. Olaf College |
| City | Northfield |
| County | Rice County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55057 |
| Coordinates | 44.46111, -93.18083 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBIC2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.8 MW | Standby | 1999 |
| SBIC3 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.8 MW | Standby | 1999 |
| SBIC1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.5 MW | Standby | 1999 |
| CO₂ | 91 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 2 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 3952 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Oil-fired plants typically run only during peak demand or grid emergencies because oil is expensive compared to gas and coal. They have the highest CO₂ emissions per MWh of any common generation technology.