County at work on landfill gas deals
Methane from waste could bring $1M a year
By Dave Munday
MONCKS CORNER -- A plan to turn trash into treasure at the Berkeley County landfill has reached another milestone.
The Post and Courier
This polyethylene pipe will carry methane from wells throughout the Berkeley County landfill to a station that will suck up the gas to be burned for carbon credits or sold for electricity.
Officials are negotiating two contracts that could bring the county $1 million a year or more from the landfill's methane gas, a byproduct of the decomposition of garbage.
One potential contract is with Santee Cooper, which would burn methane to produce electricity. The state-owned utility already has generators at landfills in four counties. This would be the first in the Lowcountry.
"What Berkeley County is doing is significant," Santee Cooper Communications Director Mollie Gore said. "This could be a reliable and affordable source of power."
The other contract would be with Blue Source, an investment company that makes money from methane.
Methane is considered a culprit in global warming, along with carbon dioxide, a byproduct of some industries. When methane is removed from the atmosphere, the so-called carbon credits can be bought and sold. Blue Source works with Goldman Sachs to sell carbon credits to industries looking for ways to offset their
carbon emissions.
Both companies submitted bids for the county's methane, and the agreements could bring in $1 million or more each year, county Water & Sanitation Director Colin Martin told the County Council. The council's public works committee, which includes all council members, told Martin to negotiate contracts.
"We're excited about reaching the milestones with these two important strategic partnerships," County Supervisor Dan Davis said.
More than 50 wells were dug through the trash this summer to release the methane. Now workers are laying pipes to a station that will suck up the gas. The $2.8 million system is expected to be finished by November.
Martin expects the system to pump 750 standard cubic feet a minute, which is the thermal equivalent of 3.1 million gallons of gasoline a year.
"This is a win-win situation for everybody," he said. "This will help us keep our fees and rates down."
Previous story
Berkeley landfill will convert methane to electricity, published 05/10/09
Charleston County's Green Committee is studying landfill options and will report to the County Council the first of September.
"We do not currently collect methane for energy creation," Charleston County Environmental Management Engineer Robert Lawing said. "In the past, we have not had enough methane for it to be economically viable. However, we are exploring opportunities at this time."
Dorchester County can't tap into the methane from its landfill because the facility is owned by a private company, County Administrator Jason Ward said.
Reach Dave Munday at 937-5553 or dmunday@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
oldglory (anonymous) says...
I see many 'woulds' and not enough 'wills' in this article.
August 17, 2009 at 7:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
captivated (anonymous) says...
They should have been doing this 20 years ago on Bees Ferry.
August 17, 2009 at 7:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blah_blah_blah (anonymous) says...
oldglory,
learn about verb tenses, please. they use would because there are three entities here.
stop being so negative.
August 17, 2009 at 7:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scottmcx (anonymous) says...
This smells...literally.
August 17, 2009 at 10:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Swimhard (anonymous) says...
This is great news! A perfect win-win situation: global warming is slowed, electricity rates drop, and new jobs are created! There are a great many opportunities like this out there that we have failed to recognize in the past. However, with global climate change on our doorstep and our economy still struggling, we can’t afford to wait any longer. The American Clean Energy and Security Act will both encourage actions such as this, and stimulate technological innovation that will create many other financially feasible possibilities.
For instance, some studies indicate there are at least 672 ways small and medium sized industrial plants in SC can improve their efficiency. The potential financial savings from these upgrades would be enormous, with an average payback of only 1.4 years! Clean energy jobs in this state have been growing fast. In 1998-2007 clean jobs grew by 36% while the rest of our economy grew only 2.2%. We can ensure this growth continues by passing the ACES bill!
August 17, 2009 at 11:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
LOOK OUT TAXPAYERS......!!!!!!
Carbon Credits will do OUR grandchildren a lot of good considering that our landfills will continue to grow LARGER and LARGER....!!!
Ask yourself this question...."IF we have the technology to make landfills obsolete then why are we NOT pursuing this environmentally RESPONSIBLE SOLUTION...!?!?
www.startech.net plus recycling could be one un-PUBLISHED solution.....DAVE MUNDAY...!!!
This METHANE Solution will......
1) Continue to burn more garbage TRUCK Diesel fuel because landfills will be built FARTHER away from the point of trash collection...!?!
2) Continue to ENLARGE Landfill Mountains..!?!
3) Continue to fatten the Good ol' Boy campaign coffers....!!!
4) Continue the City, County, and DHEC tax engine .....!!!!
5) Continues to demonstrate why SC will NEVER be a leader and only BEND OVER....!!!
6) Continues to Demonstrate how the information reported in OUR very newspapers is disingenuous to the taxpaying PUBLIC...!!
7) Continues to demonstrate how CITY and Urban FOLK are dumping on RURAL Folk...!!
8) Continues to demonstrate how Elected City and County officials do ....WHAT..!?!
Well......will HISTORY look back 100 years from now and write ....WHAT ???
Look out TAXPAYERS.....!!!!!
August 17, 2009 at 11:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JustJennings (anonymous) says...
They have been using methane generated by the decay of waste in India for years. It's time we caught up. Actually the used methane from decomposing animal manure to generate methane with the resulting waste making particularly rich compost for agricultural use.
August 17, 2009 at 12:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
WOW....DAVE.....!!!!
No major politician photo OP ...!?!?
What major player will receive tax benefits for using this GREEN Energy..!?!?
I'm sure this will be used by WASTE MANAGEMENT in Cherokee County as pomp to snooker the citizens up there...!!!!!
Hmm....how will this be used to IMPRESS Charleston County Council on the BENEFITS at Bees Ferry and PARKERS FERRY...!?!?!
Hmm.....hom many times will Charleston County officials be WISKED out to witness the METHANE OPERATION...!?!?! How many times will Charleston COunty COuncil Members go up to Bristol Conn. to walk through the STARTECH PLAMSA Demonstration facility...!?!?
This would be a great nugget of information for all POST and Courier readers to know .....wouldn't it ...DAVE MUNDAY...!?!?
Citizens......grab your WALLETS, Children, and GRAND Children and........SCREAM !!!!
August 17, 2009 at 12:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Numba10 (anonymous) says...
Hey Zoomru---here's a wrench to tighten those loose nuts-----do you ever have a positive
This is a good idea, trapping methane
----everyone can help reduce carbon dioxide build up dont breathe
August 17, 2009 at 1:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bill1776 (anonymous) says...
Good they should have been doing this many, many, moons ago. About global warming! Global warming is being pushed down our throats so the government can gain more control and tax us more. Global warming may be good, then there would be more food to feed the world population and I sure don't like winter. A large number of scientist agree that the earth is cooling not warming.
August 17, 2009 at 5:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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