BMW Uses Landfill Methane For Spartanburg Manufacturing Facility

Date: May 1, 2003

Source: News Room

BMW Manufacturing Corp. began recycling methane gas drawn from the Palmetto Landfill near Spartanburg as an energy to source supply the company's manufacturing facility with 25 percent of its energy needs, avoiding 55,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. The methane gas is used to fuel four turbines at the BMW factory, which produce electricity and hot water. This cogeneration of electricity and hot water has been a part of BMW's overall plan since construction began on the plant in 1993. BMW's landfill project is the only project that co-generates electricity and hot water for use at an industrial location remote from the landfill. In order to use the gas, a 9.5-mile pipeline was built from Palmetto Landfill to BMW Manufacturing Corp. BMW's project is unique in the fact that most other landfill gas projects create energy at the landfill and send through wires. BMW will pipe gas to drive generators that will recover sufficient energy to heat the equivalent of 15,000 homes per year.
More information: www.bmwusfactory.com.

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