Biomass Energy Resource

Biomass, which includes landfill gas and agricultural waste, is the primary renewable energy resource available in Georgia and utilized by Green Power EMC.

Landfill gas is extracted from the landfill site, processed to remove moisture and particulate matter, and utilized as fuel for power generation. The power produced is supplied to the utility distribution system. Landfill gas is:

• a renewable fuel when used to generate energy;
• produced as organic matter and naturally decomposes in a solid waste landfill;
• composed of about 50 percent methane, which is combustible and is also the main component of natural gas. (The remainder is carbon dioxide, water vapor and minute amounts of other organic compounds.); and
• in steady supply, as long as organic matter is disposed as a waste.

Most landfills are required by law to collect and destroy landfill gas before it escapes into the atmosphere. While most landfill gas is managed as a waste product and burned in a flare, Energy Developments, Inc. (EDI, a market leader in independent power generation utilizing renewable fuels) recycles landfill gas by using it as a fuel to generate electricity. When landfill gas is released into the atmosphere instead of burned, the methane component, which is a potent greenhouse gas, becomes a pollutant associated with global warming; however, when this methane is used to generate electricity, it becomes a clean burning fuel.

What are the Benefits of Using Landfill Gas to Generate Electricity?
Using landfill gas as a fuel has a double environmental benefit. First, it recycles a material that would otherwise be burned as a waste and, second, it reduces the amount of energy that must be generated from fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Using landfill gas instead of fossil fuel to generate electricity:

• preserves the world's natural resources of fossil fuel,
• reduces the environmental impact resulting from mining and/or drilling for fossil fuel, and
• reduces U.S. dependence on foreign sources of fossil fuels.

Each megawatt of electricity generated by an EDI landfill gas-fueled power station in one year is equivalent to:

• Enough electricity to service 636 homes;
• Taking 8339 cars off the road;
• Planting 11,882 acres of forest; or
• Displacing the use of 213 railcars of coal.

EDI Power Station Design and Management
EDl's innovative approach to landfill gas power station design demonstrates its environmental consciousness, technical expertise, and economic sensitivity in the utilization of landfill gas for energy generation.

Each power station is custom-designed to meet the specific landfill gas management requirements of the host landfill and the specific land use requirements of the surrounding community. EDI selects the most appropriate combustion technology (or combination of technologies) for each project from those currently commercially available for use with landfill gas fuel. EDI power station designs provide for flexibility to allow for maximum landfill gas recycling and minimum landfill gas waste over the life of the host landfill.

EDI supervises all phases of power station development from the original conceptual design to construction to actual day-to-day operations.

How it works: Following is an illustration and description of the landfill gas-to-electricity conversion process.

• Landfill gas is extracted from the landfill by applying a vacuum to narrow wells that are drilled in the fill material. The extracted landfill gas is collected in underground pipes and directed to the power station area. After collection, it is processed to remove moisture and particulates.
• After processing, landfill gas is burned in a combustion unit, which drives a generator, which produces electricity.
• The generator is connected to a transformer, which increases the voltage of the electricity to match that of the local electrical utility's distribution system.
• Finally, the electricity is exported to the local utility and is delivered to local homes as clean, renewable energy.

Current status: The two landfill gas-to-electricity projects utilized by Green Power EMC currently produce a combined five megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 3,000 Georgia homes each year.

For more information see the EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program.