Greentech Lead America: Waste Management has opened
northern Nevada’s first Gas-To-Energy power plant at its Lockwood Landfill,
which will use landfill gas produced onsite to generate electricity.
The project will create enough renewable energy to power
more than 1,800 homes.
The project, which went online in March, will offset the
use of about 700 railcars’ worth of coal.
When compared to fossil fuels, as we all other renewable
sources of energy, including wind and solar, landfill gas has several benefits.
WM owns or operates 131 landfill gas-to-energy facilities
across North America, producing enough electricity to power nearly 475,000
homes.
Combined with the company’s other renewable energy
projects, Waste Management produces over 9 million megawatt hours of
electricity per year, or enough for more than 1.1 million homes. Solar energy,
according to 2009 trade association data, generates approximately 5 million
megawatt hours annually.
“The Gas-To-Energy Facility at the Lockwood Landfill
ensures that not even garbage will go to waste. By investing in landfill
gas-to-energy, we are powering homes using the same waste that is left at the
curb,” said Justin Caporusso, Waste Management spokesperson.
“Waste Management has been developing landfill
gas-to-energy technology for over two decades, and we operate more of these
facilities than any other company in the United States,” said Paul Pabor,
vice president of renewable energy for Waste Management.
Waste Management and its 300 Nevada employees provide
waste and recycling services to nearly 131,000 customers in northern
Nevada.