EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program honors top energy projects for 2012.

Allan Gerlat, News Editor

February 12, 2013

3 Min Read
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) has named its 2012 projects of the year, recognizing innovation in promoting landfill gas to energy.

The Washington-based EPA said in a news release the LMOP recognized seven projects “that generate renewable energy from a local source while also protecting the climate and strengthening the economy.” The projects will avoid emissions of 269,770 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.

The winning projects were:

•  Anne Arundel County Millersville landfill electricity project, Maryland – The county developed a 3.2-megawatt landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) project after 12 years of effort, bringing together numerous government agencies and private companies. The first LFGTE project in the county, it generates renewable electricity for the local grid while providing revenue for county energy efficiency and solid waste projects.

•  Hickory Ridge Landfill and Coca-Cola combined cooling, heat and power project, Georgia – Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.-based Mas Energy developed a combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) that will annually generate at least 48 million kilowatt-hours of on-site green power, providing Atlanta-based Coca-Cola’s Atlanta Syrup Branch facility with a continuous supply of renewable electricity, steam and chilled water. The project involved a six-mile LFGTE pipeline and permitting three engines in a severe ozone non-attainment area.

•  La Crosse County Landfill and Gundersen Health System combined heat and power project, Wisconsin — A private/public partnership between La Cross County and Gundersen Health System, based in La Cross, resulted in a two-mile pipeline bringing landfill gas (LFG) to Gundersen’s Onalaska Campus to heat both buildings and water on the campus, as well as renewable power to the local grid. In addition to revenue for the county, the landfill was the first in the state to receive “Green Tier” status from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

•  Lycoming County Landfill dual cogeneration and electricity project, Pennsylvania – Through creative permit and power purchase agreement structuring, the Lycoming County Landfill now supplies 80 percent of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ (FBOP) Allenwood Correctional Complex’s electricity and 90 percent of its power and thermal needs through the combustion of LFG in four internal combustion engines (6.2 megawatts total). The FBOP gains price stability and clean energy, and the county receives funding for updating its gas collection system and revenue for the LFG.

•  Orange County’s Olinda Alpha Landfill combined cycle project, California — Employing creative financing and innovative emission controls. the project used a combined cycle process that’s more efficient than a standard gas turbine project, and the plant’s wastewater is used to control dust at the landfill in place of potable water supplies. The city of Anaheim gets renewable power and the county gets annual LFG revenues of $2.75 million.

•  St. Landry Parish Landfill compressed natural gas project, Louisiana — The St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Disposal District found a greener way to destroy methane and fuel government vehicles by converting just 50 cubic feet per minute of LFG into 250 gallons of gasoline equivalent per day of compressed natural gas (CNG). The district developed the project with help from several contracting companies to save costs.

•  Watauga County Landfill small electricity project, North Carolina — Watauga County proved that a small amount of LFG could still provide beneficial, cost-effective electricity generation beyond the local community with its 186-kilowatt model project. The county developed the project with assistance from local businesses and the Appalachian State University Energy Center, Boone, N.C., and creatively used modified automotive engines, which helped keep costs low enough to make the project financially viable.

The EPA LMOP also selected its 2012 Industry Partner of the Year: Landfill Energy Systems, Michigan. Landfill Energy Systems (LES), Novi, Mich., operates and maintains 38 LFG energy projects across the country. In 2012, LES added two independently owned facilities to its operational fleet, including the LMOP award-winning project in Anne Arundel County, Md.

The winners received the awards at LMOP’s Annual Conference and Project Expo in Baltimore.
 

About the Author(s)

Allan Gerlat

News Editor, Waste360

Allan Gerlat joined the Waste360 staff in September 2011 as news editor. He was the editor of Waste & Recycling News for the first 16 years of its history, and under his guidance the publication won 27 national and regional awards.

Before Waste & Recycling News, Allan worked at another Crain Communications publication, Rubber & Plastics News, which covers rubber product manufacturing. He began with the publication as associate editor and eventually became managing editor, a position he held for nine years.

Allan is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned a BS in journalism. He is based in Sagamore Hills, in northeast Ohio.

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