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 Documents, Tools and Resources
Orange County, Florida
Local Government Fostering Innovation
Orange County owns and operates the third-largest landfill in Florida,
the home of the only landfill gas-to-energy project in the state. In June
1998, the Orange County Solid Waste Department began harnessing the methane
emitted from the landfill and sending it to the Orlando Utility Commission's
(OUC) Stanton Energy Center.
This demonstrates how successful partnership between government entities
improves the environment. Locally, OUC and the Orange County Solid Waste
Department worked together with the Landfill Methane Outreach Program
(LMOP) to make this project possible. The LMOP was instrumental in providing
Orange County with information on technologies to help optimize efficiency
and production while minimizing the costs of the gas recovery system.
For its hard work, Orange County was recognized as the 1998 Partner of
the Year.
Orange County's landfill gas-to-energy system consists of 40,000 lineal
feet of collection pipe, a gas transmission pipeline, and a pump station.
Landfill gas is collected from the 200 acres of waste that have been deposited
at the Orange County landfill since the early 1990s. After collection,
the gas is sent to the Stanton Energy Center where it is used to generate
electricity. The waste at the landfill, in addition to the waste expected
to be deposited over the next 20 years, will be the source of as much
as 6,000 standard cubic feet of landfill gas per minute, or enough fuel
for OUC to generate electricity for 13,000 homes.
Designed by the Orange County Solid Waste Department and several consultants,
the system was sold to DTE Biomass Energy, Inc. DTE Biomass will own and
operate the landfill gas recovery project over the term of a 20-year contract
with Orange County. The project takes advantage of $4 million in federal
funding and tax incentives allowing OUC to replace finite fossil fuel
with the cleaner burning, renewable energy source.
This project benefits Orange County and its partners both financially
and environmentally. Orange County stands to make $400,000 per year for
rights to the landfill gas, in addition to the $5 million system purchase
price. The Orange County landfill gas project will reduce methane emissions
by almost 31,000 tons per year at capacity, improving the global environment
and ensuring that the citizens of Central Florida have a healthy environment
in which to live and work. The project has also reduced landfill odor
complaints.
OUC became involved in the Orange County project because of growing
awareness of the potential benefits of landfill gas projects for utilities.
OUC has taken advantage of the less expensive fuel, reduced emissions,
and tax incentives granted to project developers that enhance the feasibility
of retrofitting boilers to burn landfill gas.
With the success of this project, Orange County is considering adding
horizontal gas collection lines into future landfill cells as the landfill
lifts are constructed to optimize gas collection. In addition, the County
is considering constructing leachate recirculation lines to reduce leachate
and maximize moisture content for gas generation.
Summary of Benefits
- Government Entities Working Together
- Methane Reductions
- Odor Reductions
Lessons Learned
- Communities are excited to hear about innovative
advances and landfill gas-to-energy projects are a great opportunity
for positive media attention.
- The quality and resilience of the landfill liner
needs to be carefully evaluated to prevent leachate and gas bubbles
from leaking.
What Is Landfill Gas?
Most of the waste we generate ends up in landfills,
where it decomposes and produces landfill gas. Landfill gas released
into the air smells bad, contributes to local smog, and is an explosion
hazard. Additionally, landfill gas is about 50 percent methane,
a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change.
However, this methane is also a reliable and renewable fuel source
that, if not collected, goes to waste. |
The Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) is a voluntary program
that assists project developers, utilities, landfill owner/operators,
energy users, and communities to encourage new landfill gas-to-energy
projects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed a variety
of tools (e.g., profiles, fact sheets, project development manuals, software,
etc.) to facilitate the development of landfill gas-to-energy projects.
Hundreds of landfills across the country are good candidates for a landfill
gas-to-energy project. To find out more, please contact LMOP.
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