Dec 18 2009
A new landfill gas-to-energy planted was formally commissioned in Durham, North Carolina, boosting the state’s renewable energy initiatives. Methane Power, a landfill gas project developer, has built this facility. GE’s three GC 320 Jenbacher landfill gas engines, which are ecomagination-approved and containerized, power the energy plant in the facility.
Municipal solid waste in the landfill decomposes and produces methane gas. The methane gas is utilized by the GC 320 Jenbacher landfill gas engines to generate 3.17 megawatts of renewable electricity. The generated energy is supplied to the regional grid, which is enough to power approximately 1,800 homes in North Carolina.
North Carolina is one among the 27 states that adopts renewable portfolio standard (RPS). Utilities in the state should generate certain percentage of electricity from sustainable and renewable sources including biogas as per the RPS. Utilities in North Carolina should generate 12.5% of the total power to meet customer’s power needs from energy savings or from energy produced from renewable sources by the year 2021 as per the state’s RPS. North Carolina also encourages energy production through sustainable and renewable sources by offering incentives through its green energy program. Adoption of national RPS is contemplated by federal government to encourage production of power from renewable sources.
James Voss, President and CEO of Methane Power, said that by helping municipalities to utilize unused methane gas in landfills to produce clean energy, the company is also helping utilities to meet renewable energy production requirements.
Before the Jenbacher gas engines were commissioned, the methane gas produced in the Durham landfill would be flared off. By generating electricity from the gas, the emissions from the landfill are also reduced.
Source: www.ge.com