Turning a liability into an asset: Developing a landfill gas energy recovery project
- EPA, Washington, DC (United States)
Landfill methane is a potent greenhouse gas and a renewable fuel that can be harvested and put to use to meet diverse energy needs. Landfill energy recovery is a proven technology; over 120 sites in the United States alone convert landfill gas to energy. EPA estimates that as many as 750 landfills in the U.S. could cost-effectively recover energy from landfill gas; however, landfills must be individually assessed to determine whether an energy recovery project is feasible. Necessary elements of a feasibility assessment include: determining whether an energy recovery project is feasible for a particular landfill; determining what type of energy recovery project is right for a particular landfill (e.g., electricity generation; upgrade to pipeline quality gas; direct use of processed gas; and in emerging technologies, such as compression for vehicle fuel, conversion to methanol, fuel cells); evaluating project economics, including an evaluation of project costs and available incentives; and assessing other issues, such as assessing options for financing, selecting a project development partner, negotiating an energy sales contract with an electrical utility and permitting. The EPA`s Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) encourages the development of landfill energy recovery projects. The LMOP is environmentally beneficial, in that it promotes projects which cause a measurable reduction in methane; as well as economical-energy recovery projects have proven to be profitable investments. The LMOP is uniquely able to work with all of the stakeholders, including municipal solid waste landfill owners and operators, states, utilities, the landfill energy recovery industry, and the financial community, to effectively overcome barriers to landfill energy recovery project development.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 115300
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/CP--200-8098; CONF-9508104--; ON: DE95009230
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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