Capturing 1,200 cubic feet of methane per minute to generate 4.8 megawatts of electricity — enough to power half of Erie’s 6,700 households for decades into the future — is a pretty tall order.
But with two landfills on the east side of Erie practically bursting with the combustible gas — methane is a naturally occurring byproduct of solid waste decomposition — numbers on paper will soon become reality for the town of 19,000.
Brian Karp, district manager for the Denver Regional and Front Range landfills, said his company’s gas-to-energy project, which is set to go online next month, may make people think differently about what is generally considered an undesirable element in any community.
“There is a stigma associated with a landfill,” said Karp, with Waste Connections Inc. “Now we are able to put a positive spin on it. Instead of being a greenhouse gas emitter, it is something that is good for the environment and for the residents.”
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