In the United States (US), Vespene Energy Inc., a biogas renewable energy developer, and compatriot Viridi Energy Management, LLC (Viridi Energy), a full-service renewable natural gas (RNG) platform, have announced the launch of their first joint pilot site with a municipal landfill in Marathon County, Wisconsin (WI).
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Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), approximately 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) in the first twenty years after release.
The decomposition of landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW) produces methane and other gasses, collectively known as landfill gas (LFG) which Marathon County Landfill currently collects and flares to high percentage destruction levels per local, state, and federal regulations.
Vespene and Viridi are using highly efficient energy generation equipment to convert LFG into electricity that powers a variety of on-site uses, including data processing.
The pilot project will reduce CO2 emissions while generating revenue to subsidize Viridi’s investment in building a state-of-the-art RNG facility at the landfill.
Viridi is proud of the immediate environmental benefit that our partnership with Vespene will produce. This pilot project serves as an important bridge. It will capture and convert the methane produced by the landfill’s gas collection and control system, while we build our industry-leading RNG facility at this site over the months ahead. It is a win for the Marathon County community and for our planet, said Dan Crouse, CEO at Viridi Energy Management.
Viridi expects that the RNG facility – which will produce the equivalent of three million (US) gallons (≈ 11.35 million litres) of gasoline annually – will be fully operational by the second half of 2024.
Generating off-grid revenues
Recent research indicates that methane emissions from landfills may be higher than previously realized.
Due to the high costs and long lead times associated with building grid-connected landfill energy projects, over 70 percent of the country’s roughly 2 600 municipal landfills do not have a viable use for the methane they produce.
Vespene’s unique technology solution enables operators of unregulated landfills to find alternative destruction and treatment methods rather than simply flaring, and this could allow for additional treatment and cleaning of LFG.
Vespene’s integrated data processing approach provides a near-term revenue stream that serves as a bridge to grid interconnection, where sites can then participate in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) new Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program pathway for e-RINs.
Unlike traditional off-takers of landfill gas, Vespene’s technology solution brings revenue-generating, energy-efficient data centers onsite and is immediately deployable and highly scalable. This enables municipal landfill operators to monetize an otherwise stranded asset while reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions quickly and economically, said Adam Wright, Co-Founder and CEO of Vespene Energy.
