POWER July 2015 - 68

FUELS
2. U.S. landfill methane emissions and gross domestic product: 1990-
2011. Since 1990, U.S. landfill methane (CH4) emissions have decreased by 30% while gross
domestic product increased by 66%, the Environmental Protection Agency notes. Sources:
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2011, U.S. EPA, April 2013; DOC/
Bureau of Economic Analysis. Interactive National Income and Product Accounts Table
■ CH4 ■ GDP
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
Year
ly updated database (based on voluntary reporting)
suggests that at least 2 GW of LFG
power generation facilities are operational in
the U.S. today. Another 12.8 MW is under
construction, 9.6 MW is planned, and 250
MW has been shut down (Figure 3).
For the EPA, however, this growth has
been tepid, at most. It says at least 440 candidate
landfills, worth 855 MW, can be developed
nationwide.
The Evolution from Waste to Gas
to Power
Considering all its environmental benefits,
its designation as a renewable fuel, and its
government backing, why hasn't the LFGTE
sector become larger?
According to Kerry Kelly, senior director
of federal affairs at Waste Management
Inc.-the nation's largest landfill gas power
generator-the sector is suffering a temporary
lull. The number of LFGTE projects
grew aggressively from 2006 through 2013,
supported by high wholesale energy prices,
utility and local government interest in voluntary
sustainability projects, Federal Section
45 tax credits for production of renewable
electricity, and expansion in-state renewable
portfolio standard (RPS) programs that promoted
or mandated production of renewable
energy including power from landfill gas, she
told POWER in May.
" Since that time, there has been a marked
slow-down in development of new LFGTE
projects with lower natural gas and wholesale
electricity prices and the expiration of federal
tax credits last year, " she said. " We think it
is possible that implementation of the Clean
3. A wasteland. According to the EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program, hundreds of
landfill gas energy projects currently operate in the U.S. and hundreds more are candidate landfills.
These include landfills that have been closed for five years or less. Source: EPA
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
Power Plan and potential renewal of the Section
45 tax credits will spur development of
new projects. "
Kelly remarked that the industry has always
been in a state of flux; changing regulations
have continually sculpted it. Before
1996-when the EPA finalized sweeping
New Source Performance Standards (NSPS)
that, for the first time ever, required the collection
and combustion of LFG-LFG recovery
and control systems were typically
designed and installed to prevent subsurface
LFG migration and address explosive gas
concerns under Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act Subtitle D, odor, groundwater
protection.
But some major players also saw financial
incentives. Energy production at
Houston-based Waste Management, for example,
evolved from its focus on environmental
compliance and a drive to develop
new and higher-value revenue streams. The
company began by installing methane capture
systems at landfills, flaring off gas.
Soon it was capturing the methane at larger
volumes and sending it via pipeline to generate
power.
Today, Waste Management and Arizonaheadquartered
waste disposal firm Republic
Services own the bulk of the nation's LFGTE
facilities (Figure 4).
Waste Management's LFG activities have
evolved even further: Under a partnership
with Linde, the company has been exploring
converting LFG to liquefied natural gas and
plans to refuel its entire waste management
4. The big players. " Other " includes
228 entities, each with under 1 MW. Private
companies own 1,250 MW of operational
capacity; public companies own 755 MW. All
numbers are MW. Source: EPA LMOP
■ Others ■ Waste Management Inc. ■ Republic
Services Inc. ■ Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles
County ■ Advance Disposal Services ■ Rhode
Island Resource Recovery Corp. ■ Progressive Waste
Solutions Ltd. ■ Orange County Waste & Recycling
53.2 42.3 31.6
74.0
86.1
316.7
888.0
512.6
645 operational projects (2,066 MW, 298 mmscfd )
~440 candidate landfills (855 MW, 475 mmscfd)
68
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POWER | July 2015
CO2e (Mmt)
1990
1995
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
GDP (billions of chained 2005
dollars)

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POWER July 2015

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