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 Documents, Tools and Resources
South Carolina Energy Office
Creating an Environment Conducive to Landfill Gas Use Projects
South Carolina’s Energy Office became a Landfill Methane Outreach
Program (LMOP) State Partner to promote landfill gas energy (LFGE) projects
throughout the state. In 1999, the Energy Office organized and created
a task force of various government officials from the Public Service Commission,
the Department of Transportation, the Department of Health and Environmental
Control, Greenville County, Georgetown County, and Lexington County to
help facilitate LFGE projects in South Carolina. They also created a primer
on developing South Carolina’s LFGE potential and conducted a one-day
educational workshop. Thanks to the dedication of the Energy Office staff
and assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s)
LMOP, LFGE projects are a reality in South Carolina. For these reasons,
South Carolina Energy Office was named EPA’s LMOP State Partner
of the Year for 2000.
The Energy Office conducted a survey and determined that 30 landfills
in South Carolina were potential candidates for LFGE projects, with the
potential to produce up to 81 MW of power. Based on this survey, several
landfills initiated LFGE projects throughout the state, two of which involve
sending landfill gas to nearby industrial users in Spartanburg County
and Richland County. Horry County, working with a state-owned utility,
is converting landfill gas to electricity from an onsite plant that became
operational in October 2001. As of October 2002, 15 additional sites are
in various stages of development throughout the state.
The Energy Office has made progress on projects by combining their efforts
with the resources of LMOP. The state has played a key role by creating
public and private alliances to help develop these projects. The state
is working with several private companies, including Waste Management
Inc., Allied Waste, Duke Solutions (a subsidiary of Duke Energy), Ameresco,
BMW, and Clariant Technologies. The Energy Office serves as a facilitator
to coordinate projects with private companies and the different members
of the task force.
Summary of Benefits
- Generates cost savings
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from landfills
- Generates clean, renewable energy
- Promotes renewable energy as a viable source
of power
What Is Landfill Gas?
Most of the waste we generate ends up in landfills,
where it decomposes and produces landfill gas. Landfill gas, if
uncontrolled, can contribute to local smog and present health and
safety hazards. Additionally, landfill gas is approximately 50 percent
methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate
change. Methane, however, is also a reliable and renewable fuel
source that can be collected an used in a variety of applications. |
LMOP is a voluntary program that assists project developers, utilities,
landfill owners/operators, energy users, and communities to encourage
new LFGE projects. LMOP has developed a variety of tools (e.g., profiles,
fact sheets, project development manuals, and software) to facilitate
the development of LFGE projects. Hundreds of landfills across the country—and
around the world—are good candidates for a LFGE project. To find out more, please contact LMOP.
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