Date: November 8, 2010
Source: Frederick County and SCS Engineers
Frederick County, VA announced the opening of a new $4.5 million landfill gas-to-energy project at its landfill in Winchester. The project is a partnership between the county's Department of Public Works and SCS Engineers, its developer, and was funded from landfill revenues. Gas from the project is fueling two 20-cylinder internal combustion engines to generate just under 1,500 horsepower, equivalent to about 1 megawatt of electricity. Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, which provides power to part of the county, will buy the power. Jim Walsh, president and CEO of SCS said, "It's a good marriage of environmental protection and energy generation, two objectives that are more often in conflict. But in this and similar projects the fuel value of landfill gas helps pay for a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions."
PRESS RELEASE
SCS Engineers Helps Frederick County Regional Landfill Convert its Greenhouse Gases into Energy and Income
Frederick County and SCS Engineers along with SCS Field Services (SCS) held a ribbon-cutting and switch-flipping ceremony on Tuesday, October 12, 2010, to inaugurate the new landfill gas-to-energy (LFGE) system installed at the Frederick County Regional Landfill.
The $4.5 million project was completed by a partnership between the county's Department of Public Works and SCS. SCS Engineers provided engineering, and SCS Field Services provided contracting services for the project. Joe Wilder, the department's deputy director, notes that the project was funded from landfill revenues.
The project will generate revenues through the recovery and use of methane gas which is generated by the gradual decomposition of solid waste in the landfill. Combustion of the methane gas will substantially reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from this landfill. To capture the landfill gas, wells were drilled into the waste mass at various points, according to Darrin D. Dillah, an SCS Vice President. A vacuum draws the gas from the wells, which are located in both the closed and active parts of the landfill, and transmits it to the power generation facility. System components remove water from the gas, which is then compressed before being sent to the internal combustion (IC) engines.
Each of the two IC engines has 20 cylinders and generates just under 1,500 horsepower, Dillah said, equivalent to about 1 megawatt of electricity. The electricity is connected to the local power grid. "The electricity generated here is being used in nearby homes and industrial plants."
"This mature technology has been used throughout the world for decades," said Jim Walsh, President and CEO of SCS. "It's a good marriage of environmental protection and energy generation, two objectives that are more often in conflict. But in this and similar projects the fuel value of landfill gas helps pay for a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions," Walsh said.
Richard Shickle Sr., Chairman of the Frederick County's Board of Supervisors, said that the project is another step in the county's work toward environmental protection.
"Today, Frederick County and the Frederick County Landfill staff are walking the walk when it comes to renewable energy," Shickle read from a statement earlier. "In the last decade the awareness of one's carbon footprint and the push to reduce greenhouse gases has steadily grown." For 10 years, the landfill has voluntarily destroyed its landfill gases, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and its "carbon footprint," Shickle noted. "These voluntary actions have put Frederick County ahead of the curve," Shickle said.
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, which provides power to part of the county, will be buying the power generated by the facility, according to Mr. Wilder.
About SCS Field Services and SCS Engineers
SCS Field Services is a division of SCS Engineers. Since 1970, employee-owned SCS has delivered economically and environmentally sound solutions for solid waste management and other environmental projects throughout the world. SCS has been rated the Number One Solid Waste engineering company five times by Engineering News-Record (ENR). In addition, SCS has ranked as one of the fastest-growing architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms on the Zweig Letter Hot Firms List for six years. SCS provides engineering, construction, and long-term operations and maintenance services to private and public sector clients through a network of 47 offices in 23 states and worldwide.
The landfill gas control systems SCS designs and operates for its clients reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by more than 25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year. If someone asks if SCS is helping to address the subject of global climate change, the answer is a resounding, "Yes."
For more information about SCS, please visit our website at www.scsengineers.com or contact service@scsengineers.com.
John Picone
Corporate Communications Manager
SCS Engineers
3900 Kilroy Airport Way
Suite 100
Long Beach, CA 90806
Office: 562-426-9544
Fax: 562-426-9175
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