Landfill power to fill energy gap
15 Jan 2000
Use of landfill gases as a fuel for power generation has been so successful that energy minister Richard Page is to encourage companies to set up new, worldwide schemes. The dividends come both from renewable energy and from reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The rotting rubbish in landfills generates methane, which is a major contributor to global warming. Rather than letting it escape, landfill gas power generators collect the methane and burn it as fuel, often in modified diesel engines. This generates electricity, and converts the CH4 to CO2, a less potent greenhouse gas (PE Nov 1996, p39).
The government funds landfill gas power projects through the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO), which channels funds into projects based on renewable energy sources. These would otherwise founder, as they cannot generate electricity as cheaply as the large conventional power stations. The landfill gas projects are producing the lowest-price electricity of all the NFFO projects, says Page.
Britain's success in developing the industry could open up a lucrative export market. Existing dumps world-wide will generate methane for 20 years. The market for landfill gas power generators could exceed £5billion, the government claims.
