A BMW plant near Greer, SC has successfully trapped enough methane from a nearby landfill to supply 60% of the energy it needs to operate. In partnership with Texas firm Waste Management, the plant receives the methane via a nine mile-long pipeline that runs from the Spartanburg County landfill and fuels turbines that generate electricity. In addition to reducing carbon output by about 60,000 tons annually, this innovation also makes the state more energy independent.

Landfill gases are created when microorganisms break down the organic material, and consist of mostly methane, which is then collected by the landfill power plants and converted to electricity. In addition to the plant near Greer, South Carolina has plans for two additional methane-based power systems, including one that would fuel a major power grid used to heat and provide electricity to homes and business. Trapping carbon-contributing gases and energies and converting them to usable fuel is an area of emerging technology that hold tremendous promise - additional avenues for this practice also include trapping carbon dioxide from the smokestacks of fossil fuel-burning power plants and trapping it in underground mineral deposits.

Labels: Advanced Energy