Dairyland Power Invests in Landfill Gas-to-Energy Plants

[jpak]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060531/cgw037.html?.v=60

LA CROSSE, Wis., May 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Dairyland Power Cooperative has invested in more renewable energy for its members by purchasing the electricity from two new landfill gas-to-energy (LGE) generating facilities, owned by Waste Management, Inc. The generating facilities are sited at the Timberline Trail Landfill near Bruce, Wis., and the Central Disposal Landfill near Lake Mills, Iowa. Both came online in spring 2006.

The natural byproduct of the residential waste landfills, methane gas, is the fuel used to generate the renewable energy. The 3.2 megawatt (MW) Timberline Trail facility can power 2,700 homes. The 4.8 MW Central Disposal facility can power 4,000 homes.

"Landfill gas generation is a win-win for consumers and the environment, since it is a very reliable energy resource with the ability to operate around the clock. This is good for the environment and good for consumers who depend on a constant energy supply," said Dairyland President and CEO Bill Berg.

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Dairyland also supplies renewable energy to its member distribution cooperatives from its Flambeau Hydro Station near Ladysmith, Wis., and from participation in two wind farms in southwestern Minnesota. In addition, Dairyland operates three "cow power" manure digester facilities at dairy farms in its service territory.

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[CAcyclist]

1. The way I understand this is that this is really just greenwashing

and that these waste to energy plants are not the win-win the industry portrays but just a way for industry to continue polluting. I'll have to find some links to expand on this - sorry I don't have this at my fingertips at the moment.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

2. I'd be interested in seeing that

What I know is that landfills and water treatment plants both produce methane and in some cases, they produce so much of it that there is already a venting system in place to burn it off, because it would be an explosion risk otherwise.

I can't see where using this gas for electricity or bottled gas could be anything but good.

[sybylla]

3. They're not burning coal, they aren't using petroleum products and

they're not using radioactive material to generate electricty. Except for solar, I just don't see how electricty generation gets any better than that.

They are using methane collected from a waste site - methane that would probably be lost to the atmosphere or burned off otherwise.

Still, I'm sure you can dig some dirt up on this if you look hard enough. Some environmentalists are never happy with half-measures.

[jpak]

5. Sorry - these are not trash burning plants

and they are "green".

Landfills (and manure pits) emit large amounts of methane - a greenhouse gas with ~40 times the warming potential of CO2.

Anthropogenic methane also indirectly participates in the destruction of stratospheric ozone. Methane oxidation is the primary source of water vapor in the stratosphere. Water vapor forms polar stratospheric clouds that play a key role in the chemistry of ozone depletion.

By oxidizing methane to CO2, and offsetting the need to burn fossil fuels to produce electricity, landfill methane power plants ARE doing the planet some good.

So it is a win-win situation.

[jwirr]

4. I like the diversified use of all kinds of energy sources that

you see here in the midwest. That will come closer to replacing oil than one source for all.