How can landfill gas be used for energy?
Landfill gas is a readily available, local and renewable energy source that offsets the need for non-renewable resources such as coal and oil. In fact, LFG is the only renewable energy source that, when used, directly prevents atmospheric pollution. Landfill gas can be converted and used in many ways: to generate electricity, heat, or steam; as an alternative vehicle fuel to fuel fleets like school buses, taxis, and mail trucks; or in niche applications like microturbines, fuel cells and greenhouses. Of the 2,300 or so currently operating or recently closed MSW landfills in the United States, more than 450 have LFG utilization projects. However, EPA estimates that as many as 520 additional landfills could cost-effectively have their methane turned into an energy resource, producing enough electricity to power nearly 700,000 homes across the United States. That is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from more than 9 million passenger vehicles.
