Dive summary:
- A 2.2-megawatt landfill gas-to-energy plant is opening in California that is expected to power approximately 1,300 northern California homes.
- Ameresco will own, operate and maintain the new facility for the duration of the 20-year contract, converting methane gas from the landfill into power while also returning part of the profits back to the county.
- The power generated by the facility will be sold to Alameda Municipal Power through a 20-year power purchase agreement.
From the article:
Landfill gas is the largest source of human-made methane emissions in the United States. A natural product of waste decomposition, landfill gas is made up of roughly 50 percent methane, 45 percent CO2, and 5 percent other components. The current facility is expected to generate enough clean energy to reduce direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by over 10,400 tons of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to removing nearly 1,900 cars from the roads or planting over 2,000 acres of trees. These environmental benefits will nearly double when the plant is expanded, as currently expected, to 4.3 MW in the near future. ...
