September 2014

Green Power from Landfill Gas

Improving the environment while sustainably fueling the economy

What is Landfill Gas?

Landfill gas (LFG) is a natural byproduct of the
decomposition of organic material within landfills. LFG is
composed of roughly 50 percent methane and 50 percent
carbon dioxide (CO;;).' Methane is a potent greenhouse gas
that traps radiation in the atmosphere and has a global
warming potential 25 times greater than CO2. In 2012,
landfills were the third largest human-made source of
methane in the United States, accounting for about 18
percent of total methane emissions.2 Today, many cost-
effective options exist to capture and use LFG to generate
energy and reduce methane emissions.

EPA's Interest in LFG Energy

EPA is interested in supporting LFG energy projects for
many reasons, because these projects:

•	Destroy methane and offset the use of non-renewable
fossil fuels.

•	Help reduce local air pollution.

•	Create jobs, revenues and cost savings.

Much has been done to facilitate development of LFG
energy projects through EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach
Program (LMOP): there are more than 600 operational LFG
energy projects in the United States. However, there are
many more opportunities to use LFG to benefit the
environment and the economy. LFG utilization projects are
under way at about one-quarter of the 2,400 operating or
recently closed municipal solid waste (MSW] landfills in the
United States. EPA estimates that another 450 landfills
present economically attractive opportunities for LFG
energy project development, with the potential to generate
enough energy to power 500,000 homes each year.

1	U.S. EPA. Overview of Greenhouse Gases.

www.epa.rov/climatRchaniffi/yhyeiriissions/pasfts/ch4.html

2	U.S. EPA. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-
2012. April 2014. www.eaa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/
usinventorvreport.html

LFG Energy Projects Offer Many Benefits

Energy Benefits. Since the late 1970s, LFG has been
captured and used to provide a renewable energy
resource in the form of electricity and fuel to citizens,
communities and industry. In 2014, 636 operational
LFG energy projects in 48 states will supply
approximately:

15 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, and

116 billion cubic feet of LFG to end users.

Annually, LFG projects produce enough energy to
power more than 1.6 million homes for a year.

Environmental Benefits. Producing energy from LFG
benefits the environment directly by reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and indirectly by avoiding
the use of fossil fuels. Annual emissions reductions of
operational LFG energy projects are approximately
equivalent to the following:

Carbon sequestered by 107,000,000 acres of U.S.
forests in one year, or

CO2 emissions from 300,000,000 barrels of oil
consumed, or

CO2 emissions from 14.5 billion gallons of gasoline
consumed.

Economic Benefits. LFG energy projects also have a
substantial impact on economic growth and produce
cost savings. A typical 3 megawatt LFG electricity
project is estimated to offer the following economic and
job creation benefits during the construction year:

Add more than $1.5 million in new project
expenditures for the purchase of equipment.

Directly create at least five jobs for construction
and installation of the equipment.

• Increase the state-wide economic output by
$4.1 million and employ 20 to 26 people.

EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) is a voluntary assistance and partnership program that promotes the use of LFG as
a renewable energy resource. By preventing emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, through the development of LFG energy
projects, LMOP helps businesses, states and communities protect the environment and build a sustainable energy future. For more
information about LMOP, visit www.epa.gov/lmop.


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LFG Energy Is Truly Green Power

In 2012, methane accounted for about 9 percent of all
greenhouse gases emitted in the United States from human
activities.

LFG energy projects mitigate global climate change by
preventing methane from escaping into the atmosphere.
Instead, LFG is captured and used as a reliable, renewable
source of green power.

Properties of Methane

Chemical Formula

ch4

Lifetime in Atmosphere

12 years

Global Warming Potential (100-year)

25

U.S. Methane Emissions, By Source

Other

9%^

Manure
Management

www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/usinventorvreport.html

LFG and Green Pricing Programs

LFG Users' Success Stories

Green pricing programs offer premium rates for power
provided from renewable energy resources. Many states
require utilities to offer green pricing to customers, and
utilities are increasingly offering green pricing options even
without a legal requirement. More than 40 green pricing
programs include LFG. States may also adopt renewable
portfolio standards (RPS] that specify the minimum amount
of customer load to be supplied from eligible renewable
energy sources. At least 37 states accept LFG energy in their
RPS and renewable energy resource procurement goals.3

LFG is a good fit for green power programs for several
reasons:

LFG is recognized by energy certification programs as
a renewable energy resource.4

LFG serves as the "baseload renewable" for many
green power programs, providing online availability
exceeding 90 percent.

Most states have landfills that can support LFG
projects.

Energy produced from LFG is one of the more cost-
competitive forms of renewable energy.

Several financial incentives exist in the form of federal
tax credits and state grants.

DSIRE

&EPA

GREEN
POWER

PARTNERSHIP*

LFG energy projects provide significant cost savings and
long-term, sustainable energy to LFG end users. Some
recent examples include:

Coca-Cola's Atlanta Syrup Branch facility gets
nearly all of its energy in the form of electricity,
steam and chilled water from green power
generated at a nearby landfill, providing Coca-Cola
with real energy savings. The landfill annually
generates 48 million kilowatt-hours of on-site green
power.

The U.S. Navy saves approximately $1.1 million
annually in utility costs at the Marine Corps Logistics
Base located in Albany, Georgia, since its first LFG
cogeneration plant was completed in 2011. This
facility is made up of a dual-engine generator, a heat
recovery steam generator and two dual-fuel boilers.

In 2012, Envision Gundersen Health System's

Onalaska Campus became the first energy-
independent medical campus in the United States by
using LFG piped from the local landfill in La Crosse
County, Wisconsin. The LFG is used to power a
generator that supplies 100 percent of campus
energy needs.

The U.S. Department of Justice obtains 80 percent
of its Federal Bureau of Prisons' Allenwood
Correctional Complex's electricity from the
combustion of LFG at the nearby landfill in
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.

3	Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE).
www.dsireusa.org.

4	Green-e certification program for green power products

fwww.green-e.orgi and U.S. EPA Green Power Partnership
fwww.eDa.gov/greenDower1


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