Although it’s not unheard of for a business or municipality to make use of landfill waste energy, it hasn’t yet been done by a University – until now.Although it’s not unheard of for a business or municipality to make use of landfill waste energy, it hasn’t yet been done by a University – until now. The University of New Hampshire is now receiving up to 85% of its electricity and heat from purified methane gas collected from a nearby landfill. The 5 million square foot campus expects the $49 million the project cost to launch to be paid back in energy savings in 10 years, and cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in the same time. But what if the landfill stops collecting waste by then? It doesn’t even matter – methane gas will still be produced by the existing waste for 20 years, giving UNH officials more than enough time for a back-up plan.
For more information on how the University of New Hampshire is making use of the EcoLine waste-to-energy facility, download their brochure.