Dive Brief:
- Johnson Brothers Lumber Companies of Cazenovia, NY will use excess heat from Waste Management's landfill-gas-to-energy facility in Wampsville, NY to dry its lumber. The facility is part of a public-private partnership between Waste Management and Madison County's Department of Solid Waste and Sanitation.
- JBL recently expanded its lumber mill after purchasing land from the county as part of another public-private partnership, and plans to add drying kilns at the facility. The county says that JBL is the first business to take advantage of the excess heat produced by the gas-to-energy facility.
- The facility became operational in 2009 and is generating 1.4 megawatts of electricity. It also produces thermal energy to heat three on-site buildings, using methane gas from the county’s landfill.
Dive Insight:
Public-private partnerships are working out well in Madison County, which is committed to low-cost energy. Under a 20-year agreement, the county gets an estimated annual revenue of $200,000 from Waste Management for ongoing rights to all landfill gas and a share of electrical sales from the project.
The county also has formed a power purchase agreement with Solar Liberty of Buffalo, NY, and is planning on developing ARE Park, a business park focusing on low-cost green power and heat produced from the methane gas generated by the landfill. Businesses in the park will have access to excess heat from the landfill gas-to-energy facility and electrical energy from solar projects sited at the landfill.
