U.S industrial leader in recycling of solid non-hazardous Republic Services, proudly announced today that its Landfill-Gas-to-Energy project (LFGTE) project in Sand Valley, Collinsville, Alabama, has been recognized as the project of the year by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA).
At a workshop held on 27th March 2015, the EPA along with the Solid Waste Association of North America on its 38th Annual landfill Gas & Biogas Symposium, recognized and awarded Sand Valley’s renewable energy project.
Republic Service’s VP for the East Region, Gregg Brummer, said:
At a workshop held on 27th March 2015, the EPA along with the Solid Waste Association of North America on its 38th Annual landfill Gas & Biogas Symposium, recognized and awarded Sand Valley’s renewable energy project.
Republic Service’s VP for the East Region, Gregg Brummer, said:
"Society requires the modern landfill to be more sophisticated than ever before, leveraging science to protect the air, land and water upon which we depend. We believe the modern landfill can do more than protect the local environment. In many cases, landfills enable scientists and engineers to harness energy from waste decomposition and convert it into a renewable power source. Our employees are humbled by the EPA's recognition, and they are proud to be part of a project that will provide economic and environmental benefits to their community for years to come."
In order to develop the Sand Valley project, Gek Inc. a subsidiary of Republic Services, entered into a partnership with Energy Development Inc.’s (EDI) subsidiary Bio Energy LLC (Alabama). The Tennessee Valley Authority along with the Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative also got involved in the Sand Valley Development project.
Steve Cowman, CEO and President of EDI, exclaimed:
"EDI is proud to partner with Republic Services, Tennessee Valley Authority and Sand Mountain Electric Co-op on this award winning project. Energy Developments operates 84 projects generating over 900 MW across three continents and is a leader in remote and clean energy. We are honored that the EPA has selected this facility for their project of the year."
The project was announced last year in April 2014, and was said to be the biggest LFGTE project in the state of Alabama. It was indeed a big step in the right direction. Sand Valley’s LFGTE project can power almost 4000 homes for the community with its 4.8 megawatts capacity. The electricity that is generated is acquired by the Tennessee Valley Authority and is finally exported to the Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative.
Typically LFGTE projects produce electricity by capturing methane from biogas. Biogas is normally generated when consumables such as food, yard wastes, paper, etc. decomposes in a landfill. This biogas is then captured and efficiently put to use by converting it into a renewable source of energy which can be directly fed into a power grid. This form of renewable energy can to a large extent reduce our energy dependencies on fossil fuel thereby dramatically reducing the community’s ecological footprint.
Republic Services is a veteran in this field. It has created more than 72 such LFGTE projects nationwide, which according to the EPA, is the equivalent of planting more than 4.5M trees a year. Or viewed differently it can also be seen as the removal of 4M cars from our roads. Buoyed by its success, Republic Services, announced the development of at least two LFGTE projects per year which will result in the removal of 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
References:
http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/37797-U-S-EPA-Recognizes-Sand-Valley-Landfill-Renewable-Energy-Program-as-Electricity-Project-of-the-Year