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Riley Generating Station

Gas power plant in Michigan, United States of America. Approximate location 42.8333, -86.0053.

GasMichiganUnited States of America

Riley Generating Station is a 10 MW gas power plant in Michigan, United States of America. It is operated by City of Zeeland - (MI). Based on reported annual generation of 2 GWh, it can supply roughly 514 homes. It ranks #5750 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2006, it is around 20 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

10Source-backed capacity
2GWh reported / yr
514homes powered
2006commissioned (~20 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0056503.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRiley Generating Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Michigan WRI
Coordinates42.8333, -86.0053 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity10 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCity of Zeeland - (MI) WRI
Commissioned2006 WRI
GWh reported / yr2 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions720 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#5750 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1782 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.08× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent514 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.8°C · HDD 3,576 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 44/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 10 MW, Riley Generating Station is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 1 GWh20162017: 1 GWh20172018: 1 GWh20182019: 2 GWh20192 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by City of Zeeland - (MI).

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.8°Cannual mean temp
3,576heating degree-days (base 18°C)
237cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
209 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -4 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 10 °CON: 4 °CND: -2 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 45% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 77/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
26.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
13 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1782 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 42.8333, -86.0053 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Riley Generating Station?

Riley Generating Station is a 10 MW source-record gas power plant in Michigan, United States of America, commissioned in 2006.

How much electricity does Riley Generating Station generate?

Riley Generating Station generates about 2 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Riley Generating Station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 514 homes.

Who operates Riley Generating Station?

Riley Generating Station is operated by City of Zeeland - (MI).

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