Methane Power Plants

Bacteria feeding on garbage at municipal or industrial landfills produce methane gas, a global climate change agent that has 23-times the negative impact of carbon dioxide. Methane power plants reduce these harmful emissions by capturing the methane gas produced in landfills, processing it, and using it to fuel combustion turbines that generate electricity.

Landfill gas combustion produces some carbon dioxide, but the impact of these emissions on climate change is offset many times over by the reductions in methane emissions. A landfill gas project underway at the University of New Hampshire is expected to lower greenhouse gas emissions at the UNH Durham campus 67% below 2005 levels.

Methane Advantages

• Abundant fuel source
• Uses a “waste” product; offsets the use of fossil fuels
• Achieves major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions

Methane Limitations

• Methane power plants must be located close to landfills or other sources
  of methane gas
• Combustion of landfill gas produces varying amounts of nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions (pollution control equipment can reduce NOx emissions)