As a sprawling 725-acre operation, the F.R. Bowerman Landfill is one of the largest landfills in the United States. The landfill, located in Orange County, Calif., contains an estimated 31 million tons of waste.

With solid waste in a landfill decomposes, a natural by-product with high amounts of methane is released. This potent greenhouse gas can potentially affect global warming, climate change, ozone depletion and sea level rise, as well as have a negative impact on biodiversity. In order to better manage and reuse this onsite waste, Montauk Energy worked with Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation to develop and commission a $60 million, 113-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art renewable energy power plant to generate electrical power by capturing and conditioning the landfill gas.