Landfill Gas Energy in Iowa and Nationwide

1
Landfill Gas Energy in Iowa and Nationwide

• Iowa Recycling Solid Waste Management
  Conference
• October 5-7, 2009
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP)

2
EPAs Landfill Methane Outreach Program

• Established in 1994
• Voluntary program that creates alliances among
  states, energy users/providers, the landfill gas
  industry, and communities

Mission To reduce methane emissions by lowering
barriers and promoting the development of
cost-effective and environmentally beneficial
landfill gas energy (LFGE) projects.
3
Why EPA is Concerned about Landfill Gas

• Why is methane a greenhouse gas?
• Methane absorbs terrestrial infrared radiation
  (heat) that would otherwise escape to space (GHG
  characteristic)
• Methane as GHG is over 20 times more effective in
  trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2
• Methane is more abundant in the atmosphere now
  than anytime in the past 400,000 years and 150
  higher than in the year 1750
• Landfills were the second largest human-made
  source of methane in the United States in 2006,
  accounting for 23 generated.

4
Landfill Gas and Green PowerA Winning Combination

• Dual benefit ? destroys methane and other organic
  compounds in LFG
• Offsets use of nonrenewable resources (coal, oil,
  gas) reducing emissions of
• SO2, NOX, PM, CO2
• LFG is a recognized renewable energy resource
• Green-e, EPA Green Power Partnership, 28 states,
  Sierra Club, NRDC
• LFG is generated 24/7 and projects have online
  reliability over 90
• LFG can act as a long-term price and volatility
  hedge against fossil fuels

5
Potential LFG Revenue

• Electric projects
• Sale of electricity
• Sale of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
• Premium pricing for renewables through RPS/RPG or
  voluntary green power markets
• Tax credits incentives
• Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs)
• Direct-use projects
• Sale of LFG
• Both
• Greenhouse gas emissions trading
• Energy cost savings

6
Corporate Interest in LFG Energy

• Pipelines stretching Honeywell connected to WM
  landfill by 23-mile pipeline
• LFG a cheaper fuel source and long term hedge
  against energy price volatility
• General Motors current 4 direct-use projects
  save the company a total of over 2 million/yr
• BMW expanded its project based on success and is
  saving over 1 million/yr
• NASA saving taxpayers more than 350,000/yr
• Requests from gt20 large, national companies to
  identify landfill opportunities
• Siting new facilities near landfills
• Multiple requests received in the last year to
  find appropriate sites for NEW brick plants,
  greenhouses, etc.

7
Local Economic Benefits

• LFG as a business development or retention
  strategy
• Job creation during construction and operation
• Local contractor use (concrete, grading,
  electrical, mechanical)
• Collateral benefits (lodging, food)

8
LFG and State Renewable Portfolio Standards

• Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires
  utilities to supply a percentage of power from
  renewable sources
• 28 states plus District of Columbia have an RPS.
  
• Renewable Portfolio Goal (RPG) same as RPS but
  an objective not a requirement
• 5 states have an RPG
• LFG is eligible as a renewable resource for 33
  states and District of Columbia
• Iowa passed an RPS in November 2007
• Iowa requires its two investor-owned utilities
  MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy Interstate
  Power and Light (IPL) -- to own or to contract
  for a combined total of 105 megawatts (MW) of
  renewable generating capacity and associated
  energy production, which includes landfill gas.

9
LFG and RECs

• Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). REC 1 MW
  hour of renewable energy
• Used by utilities to meet RPS requirements
• Companies looking to reduce their environmental
  footprint purchase RECs from power producers
  using LFG
• DuPont 170 million kWh from biomass LFG
• Pitney Bowes 10 of electricity from wind LFG
• Staples 46 million kWh/year of RECs, 90 from
  biomass LFG

10
LFG Electricity Emission Reduction Benefits
Sources LFG from AP-42 (1998) Grid averages
from eGRID2007 V1.1 Updated February 2009
11
Public and Private Entities Moving to Reduce GHG
Emissions

• Voluntary Markets
• Currently where most GHG activity occurs
• Examples - Chicago Climate Exchange, Climate
  Action Reserve, Voluntary Carbon Standard
• Compliance Markets
• Rapidly evolving, will become the dominant market
  
• Led by Massachusetts and California and regional
  efforts

12
Recent Climate Change Activities

• Waxman-Markey The American Clean Energy and
  Security Act of 2009 in June 2009 by Congress.
• EPAs preliminary economic analysis available at
  epa.gov/climatechange/economics/economicanalyses.h
  tmlwax
• Proposed Endangerment and Cause or Contribute
  Findings for Greenhouse Gases under the Clean Air
  Act signed by the EPA Administrator on April 17,
  2009.
• Additional information available at
  epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html
• EPA Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule
  published in the Federal Register on April 10,
  2009.

13
State of the National LFG Industry (July 2009)

• At least 496 operational projects in 44 states
  supplying
• 1,547 MW of electricity and 277 million standard
  cubic feet per day of LFG to direct-use
  applications
• Estimated 09 Annual Environmental Benefits
• Carbon sequestered annually by 19,500,000 acres
  of pine or fir forests, or
• CO2 emissions from 199,000,000 barrels of oil
  consumed, or
• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 15,700,000
  passenger vehicles
• Estimated Annual Energy Benefit
• Powering more than 889,000 homes and
  heating nearly 614,000 homes

14
LFG Energy Projects and Candidate Landfills
15
Many Untapped LFG Resources

• Currently 525 candidate landfills with a total
  gas generation potential of 620 million standard
  cubic feet per year OR electric potential of
  1,180 MW
• If projects were developed at all these
  landfills, estimated
• Annual Environmental Benefit
• Carbon sequestered annually by 11.5 million
  acres of forest OR annual greenhouse gas
  emissions from 9.2 million vehicles on the road,
  and
• Annual Energy Benefit
• Powering 698,000 homes OR heating 1.4 million
  homes per year

16
State of LFGE in Iowa

• 26 Landfills in the state
• 4 Operational Projects
• 2 Electricity Projects Generating 11.2 MW
  (Winnebago County LF and Des Moines Metro Park
  East LF)
• 2 Direct Use Projects Generating 4.0 million
  standard cubic feet per day (Cedar Rapids SWLF
  and Scott County SWLF)
• 12 Candidate Landfills
• Could generate 17.5 MWs or 9.8 million standard
  cubic feet of gas per day
• Over 91,800 tons of potential CO2 emission
  reductions annually

17
Development Potential in Iowa

• At least 12 candidate sites with a generation
  potential of approximately 17.5 MW, equivalent
  to
• removing 136,900 cars from Iowas roads
• planting 169,900 acres of trees

18
Diversity of Project TypesUsing LFG
Greenhouse Burlington, NJ

• Electric Generation (70 of all projects)
• Reciprocating engines
• Turbines
• Microturbines
• Combined heat power (CHP)
• Direct-Use (30 of all projects)
• Boiler applications
• Direct thermal (dryers, kilns)
• Natural gas pipeline injection
• Medium high Btu
• Greenhouses
• Leachate evaporation
• Vehicle fuel (LNG, CNG)

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LFG Has Been Used to Help Produce

• Aluminum
• Alternative fuels (biodiesel, CNG, ethanol, and
  LNG)
• Aquaculture (e.g., tilapia)
• Arts crafts (blacksmithing, ceramics, glass)
• Biosolids (drying)
• Bricks and concrete
• Carpet
• Cars and trucks
• Chemicals
• Chocolate
• Consumer goods and containers
• Denim
• Electronics

• Fiberglass, nylon, and paper
• Furthering space exploration
• Garden plants
• Green power
• Ice cream, milk, and tea
• Infrared heat
• Juice (apple, cranberry, orange)
• Pharmaceuticals
• Pierogies and snack food
• Soy-based products
• Steel
• Tomatoes (hydroponic)
• Taxpayer savings and increased sustainability!

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Look Who's Using Landfill Gas!
21
Green Field Case StudyJenkins Brick Jordan
Plant Moody, Alabama

• Start-up in 2006
• Direct use of LFG for brick kilns
• Project highlights
• First major US facility that was sited and built
  near a landfill specifically for the use of LFG.
• LFG is used to fuel brick kilns and LFG is 40 of
  plants energy needs, with 100 projected in 10
  years as the landfill grows.
• 6.5 mile pipeline from Veolia Star Ridge Landfill
• The recovered LFG fuels to the boilers saves the
  school approximately 27,000 annually.
• Jenkins Brick also uses LFG at their Montgomery,
  AL Plant.

LMOP 2006 Project of the Year
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CHP and Direct-Use Case StudyBMW
ManufacturingGreer, SC
LMOP 2003 Project of the Year

• 9.5-mile pipeline from Palmetto Landfill to BMW
• 2003 4 KG2 gas turbines retrofitted to burn
  LFG
• 4.8 MW of electricity generated and 72 MMBtu/hr
  of heat recovery
• 2006 Converted paint shop to utilize LFG in
  oven burners for indirect heating
• LFG accounts for nearly 70 of BMWs energy needs
• To date, LFG has saved BMW an annual average of
  5 million in energy costs
• 2009/2010 2 new gas turbines will replace 4
  older ones generate 11 MW

LMOP 2006 Energy End User Partner of the Year
23
Direct-Use Case StudySeward County, Kansas
Landfill

• Project is a public/private partnership with
  National Beef
• 70 scfm of LFG is piped 1,500 feet to wastewater
  lagoon

• LFG and gas from covered lagoon is captured and
  used to fuel boilers at National Beef
• Seward County recognized as LMOPs 2008 Community
  Partner of the Year

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Direct-Use Case StudyCity of Sioux Falls
Regional Landfill POET Landfill Gas Energy
Project (SD)

• 1,250 scfm of gas is transported via an 11-mile
  pipeline to POETs 105-million gallons/year
  ethanol plant
• LFG reduces the plants natural gas usage by 2/3
• Landfill is currently expanding LFG wellfield to
  further offset the plants natural gas use
• City takes advantage of the sale
• of carbon credits from the project,
• in addition to the sale of the landfill
• gas

25
Infrared Heaters

• Used to heat storage and maintenance facilities
• Allen County Kansas Landfill operates infrared
  heaters at their landfill
• Requires very little LFG to heat large spaces
  (10-20 cfm)
• Projects gaining popularity in the U.S.

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LMOP Tools and Services

• Network of 700 Partners (and growing)
• Newsletter and listserv
• Direct project assistance
• Technical and outreach publications
• Project and candidate landfill database
• Web site (epa.gov/lmop)
• Support for ribbon cuttings and
• other public relations
• Presentations at conferences
• State training workshops
• 13th LMOP Annual Conference, Project Expo
  Partner Awards in January 11-13, 2010 in
  Baltimore, MD

EPA Administrator
Stephen L. Johnson Keynote Speaker 11th
Annual LMOP Conference Washington, DC January 9,
2008
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How Can We Work Together? Direct Project
Assistance

• Analyze landfill resource gas modeling
• Identify potential matches LMOP Locator
• Assess landfill and end user facilities
• Look at project possibilities
• Direct-use (boiler, heating, cooling, direct
  thermal)
• Combined Heat Power (engine, turbine,
  microturbine)
• Electric (engine, turbine, microturbine)
• Alternative Fuels (medium or high Btu, LNG, CNG)
• Initial feasibility analyses LFGcost

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Analyze Energy Potential from Landfill
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EPA Project Expo

• Interested in an LFGE Project?
• EPA features a select number of landfills at the
  Annual LMOP Conference in January.
• LMOP will develop a resume for your landfill to
  feature at the conference.
• Contact Swarupa Ganguli (EPA-LMOP) if you are
  interested.

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For More Informationwww.epa.gov/lmop
T4 Swarupa
WA
ND
MT
MN
NH
ME
WI
VT
SD
OR
ID
WY
MI
NY
MA
IA
T1Chris
NE
PA
RI
OH
CT
IL
NV
IN
NJ
T3Tom
UT
CO
KS
MO
DE
WV
MD
KY
VA
CA
TN
NC
OK
AR
NM
AZ
SC
MS
AL
GA
LA
TX
T2Victoria
AK
PR
FL
VI
HI

• Rachel Goldstein, Team Leadgoldstein.rachel_at_epa.g
  ov, [phone]
• Victoria Ludwigludwig.victoria_at_epa.gov, (202)
  343-9291

Swarupa Ganguli ganguli.swarupa_at_epa.gov, (202)
343-9732 Tom Frankiewicz frankiewicz.thomas_at_epa.
gov, [phone]
Chris Godlove godlove.chris_at_epa.gov, (202)
343-9795
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My Contact Information

Lori Hamburg SCS Engineers A Contractor to EPA on
LMOP lhamburg_at_scsengineers.com 919-662-3015