Methane
Conversion Project
The methane gas conversion project is well under way at the Wayne County Landfill. A project that has been 7 years in the making, this is a benchmark for us. We are proud to have Methane Power, Inc. provide us with a renewable energy option that was not present before. We are also humbled that the $5 million project investment is being made by Methane Power at little to no cost to Wayne Co. In fact, we will be taking in approximately $50,000 annually for the use of this natural gas from Methane Power.
The methane gas conversion project is well under way at the Wayne County Landfill. A project that has been 7 years in the making, this is a benchmark for us. We are proud to have Methane Power, Inc. provide us with a renewable energy option that was not present before. We are also humbled that the $5 million project investment is being made by Methane Power at little to no cost to Wayne Co. In fact, we will be taking in approximately $50,000 annually for the use of this natural gas from Methane Power.
Gas Burning Flare
For those who are not familiar with our previous operation, we would simply burn this gas off through a flare. According to Methane Power, the flaring systems create a 1,000 centigrade combustion system that destroys the methane and reduces carbon emissions exponentially. This is useful as methane gas contributes 21 times more harmful greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide.
Converting Gas to Electricity
Now we have the option to convert that gas into useful electric power using large generators like those shown here. The idea is much the same as flaring in that the gas is burned off. The difference is that now the generators will trap and burn the gas thereby creating power to run the generators and produce electricity. To be precise “the generators have the potential to produce 3 megawatts of electricity which is the equivalent to powering 3000 average-sized homes annually” according to Landfill Director Tim Rogers.
Project Facilitation
In order to facilitate the project the generators are being constructed on site at the landfill. Just last year Durham’s generators were fired up and officials from the landfill went to observe the operation. Sufficed to say, Durham churns out more waste than Wayne County, and therefore produces slightly higher levels of methane. Tim did state that this was “due to the fact that the landfill in that area is closed”. Therefore, eventually Wayne County will grow to produce more power and Durham will eventually run out. Nevertheless, methane is proving to be a vital resource in times when resources appear to be scarce.
How Power Is Generated
We encourage everyone to drop by and check out our construction to have a better idea of the big things taking place in our county. Here is a rundown of how the power is generated through landfill processes:
For those who are not familiar with our previous operation, we would simply burn this gas off through a flare. According to Methane Power, the flaring systems create a 1,000 centigrade combustion system that destroys the methane and reduces carbon emissions exponentially. This is useful as methane gas contributes 21 times more harmful greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide.
Converting Gas to Electricity
Now we have the option to convert that gas into useful electric power using large generators like those shown here. The idea is much the same as flaring in that the gas is burned off. The difference is that now the generators will trap and burn the gas thereby creating power to run the generators and produce electricity. To be precise “the generators have the potential to produce 3 megawatts of electricity which is the equivalent to powering 3000 average-sized homes annually” according to Landfill Director Tim Rogers.
Project Facilitation
In order to facilitate the project the generators are being constructed on site at the landfill. Just last year Durham’s generators were fired up and officials from the landfill went to observe the operation. Sufficed to say, Durham churns out more waste than Wayne County, and therefore produces slightly higher levels of methane. Tim did state that this was “due to the fact that the landfill in that area is closed”. Therefore, eventually Wayne County will grow to produce more power and Durham will eventually run out. Nevertheless, methane is proving to be a vital resource in times when resources appear to be scarce.
How Power Is Generated
We encourage everyone to drop by and check out our construction to have a better idea of the big things taking place in our county. Here is a rundown of how the power is generated through landfill processes:
- Landfill gas which contains Methane is created due to the Municipal Solid Waste (garbage) decomposing. The landfill gas is extracted through the many wells placed in the cell.
- Municipal Solid Waste (garbage) is being placed in the cell and compacted by heavy machines.
- The landfill gas is transported the power generation plant through large underground pipes.
- This plant will fulfill the needs of approximately 3,000 homes using methane generated from our disposal of Municipal solid Waste at the Wayne County Landfill.