Electricity produced from methane gas at landfill

STAFFORD — A ceremony held last week celebrated the grand opening of a plant at the Regional Landfill that will convert methane gas into electricity.

The Regional Landfill, located on Eskimo Hill Road in Stafford, began producing renewable energy from the landfill gas on Sept. 17 — the day of the ceremony.

The Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board signed a 20-year contract with Ameresco, an energy services company experienced in the development of clean energy projects, to build the landfill gas generation facility.

Until now, the landfill gas, which is about 50 percent methane, was extracted through wells and pipes buried in the landfill and combusted in a flare.

According to a released statement from Ameresco, the gas is now diverted from the flare to the landfill gas plant, which is equipped with two specialized GE Jenbacher engines designed to burn landfill gas.

The facility can generate 2.14 megawatts of renewable energy — enough to power more than 1,300 homes a day — by using the landfill gas generated by decomposing waste at the landfill.

When the R-Board determined that the gas could be captured and put to beneficial use, the project was born. It has been in the works for several years.

“The landfill gas-to-energy project successfully utilizes a resource that would have otherwise been wasted, and in the process, produces benefits for the landfill, the environment and the local community,” said Matt Kelly a member of the R-Board and Fredericksburg City Council.

According to the R-Board, power from the project is being purchased by Constellation Energy, and the R-Board will receive a royalty from the sale of the landfill gas.

“In addition to the significant environmental benefits, the R-Board will receive revenue from the sale of the gas,” said R-Board Chairman Paul Milde. “This revenue will help supplement landfill operation costs. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

The board is expected to receive approximately $180,000 annually, said Milde, but the figure will fluctuate based on the price of electricity.

Local contractors and equipment were also used for the project.

“We are really excited to be able to provide enough power for more than 1,300 homes from a previously wasted resource, said Julie May, spokeswoman for the R-Board’s Education and Outreach Office, in a released statement.

The R-Board includes government officials from Stafford and Fredericksburg. The board operates and maintains the Regional Landfill and recycling facilities for Stafford and Fredericksburg residents.

Members of the R-board include Stafford Supervisors Paul Milde and Harry Crisp; Stafford County Administrator Anthony Romanello; Fredericksburg City Councilman Matthew Kelly; and Fredericksburg City Manager Phillip L. Rodenberg.

Ameresco and the R-Board are partners in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Landfill Methane Outreach program. The voluntary program, according to Ameresco, promotes the use of landfill gas as a renewable energy source.

The EPA will be a partner in support of the project, according to Ameresco.

“Ameresco is proud to be a part of such a forward looking project, especially one that creates an alternative power source and offsets the need to use other locally generated power sources that use polluting fuels,” said Michael Bakas, vice president of Renewable Energy at Ameresco, in a released statement.

According to Ameresco, landfill gas is about one-half methane and one-half carbon dioxide, with trace gases, like hydrogen sulfide. It is created as the trash breaks down in an oxygen-free environment, under the cover of soil in the landfill.

Explosive at certain levels, methane is a very efficient greenhouse gas, but it has to be destroyed instead of being released into the atmosphere, according to Ameresco.

Developing new sources of renewable energy cuts down on direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 12 tons of Carbon Dioxide per year, according to Ameresco.

That’s a local environmental benefit equal to removing more than 16,500 cars from state roads, or planting close to 21,000 acres of trees per year, according to the company, which operates its headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Andrew Mikel, superintendent of the Regional Landfill, said that producing green power from landfill gas is the ultimate in recycling.

“…We are proud to partner with these companies and support this visionary project," he said.