Landfill Gas-To-Energy Project Turned On In Sarasota County, Florida
It is a changing world with diverse power needs, and I’ve got a nice bit of renewable news from Sarasota County, Florida. Announced in a press release by Aria Energy, a leading provider of baseload renewable energy, the news is the beginning of commercial operations of a 4.8 MW landfill gas-to-energy facility. The amount of electricity expected to be produced from the power plant is the equivalent of the electricity needed by over 2,800 homes, according to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates.
The 4.8 MW landfill gas-to-energy facility will produce electricity by capturing and processing the methane gas generated at the landfill through organic decomposition. The facility is at Sarasota County’s Central County Solid Waste Disposal Complex located in Nokomis, Florida. According to the press release, “Aria Energy designed, built, owns and operates the facility, and sells the electricity to JEA under a power purchase agreement.”
“We are pleased to partner with Sarasota County and JEA to bring another baseload renewable energy project online and power homes with clean electricity generated from municipal landfill waste,” said Richard M. DiGia, President and CEO of Aria Energy. “This facility is a prime example of how municipalities, utilities and the private sector can collaborate to bring clean and reliable renewable energy to their constituents and customers.”
Reducing reliance on non-renewable energy sources such as natural gas, coal, and petroleum is of course the key reason for landfill gas-to-energy projects.
The EPA estimates that a 4.8 MW landfill gas-to-energy project reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 236,000 metric tons each year, due to the reduction in methane emissions from the landfill and reduced consumption of fossil fuels. This reduction is equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions from the consumption of 26.5 million gallons of gasoline.
According to the press release, “Aria Energy is the largest provider of landfill gas-to-energy in the state of Florida with a total of 32 MW of installed capacity.” Following the City of Jacksonville’s Trail Ridge Landfill, the Sarasota County Project becomes the second Aria Energy-owned and -operated facility, with JEA purchasing the electricity through a power purchase agreement.
Related Stories:
Georgia’s Largest Landfill Gas to Electricity Project Opens in Taylor County
GE Technology Powers First Landfill-Gas-to-Energy Project in Alaska
The Only Active Landfill In Vermont Goes Solar
Landfill Biogas – The Rodney Dangerfield of Renewable Power
Image: Engine Maintenance At Landfill Gas Recovery Plant, via Shutterstock
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