 | |  Lopez Canyon Landfill Gas Energy Project
 
| Location | Sylmar, California | | End User(s) | Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Target Corporation | | Sector(s) | Utility, Retail | | Landfill(s) | Lopez Canyon Landfill | | Landfill Size | 16.6 million tons waste-in-place (2000) | | Project Type | Microturbine (50 Capstone units) and Reciprocating Engine | | Project Size | 7.1 megawatts (MW) | | Environmental Benefits | Carbon sequestered annually by 8,000 acres of pine or fir forests, annual greenhouse gas emissions from 6,500 passenger vehicles, or carbon dioxide emissions from 82,000 barrels of oil consumed. Annual energy savings equate to powering 4,500 homes. Estimated emissions reductions of 0.0096 million metric tons of carbon equivalents. | | LMOP Partners Involved | Capstone Turbine Corporation, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, Fortistar Methane Group, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power |
At the largest facility of its kind in the world, LA’s Bureau of Sanitation operates an array of 50 microturbines, each with an output of 30 kilowatts (kW), combining for a total of 1.5 MW. This is on top of the Lopez Canyon’s first landfill gas energy (LFGE) project, which generates 5.6 MW of power from engines running on a third of the landfill’s available gas. Together, these two LFGE projects produce 7.1 MW, enough to power 4,500 homes.
Microturbines, a relatively new distributed generation technology in LFG utilization, have a number of advantages. Ranging in size from 15kW to 500 kW, they can use lower quality LFG (minimum 15 percent methane). They require a smaller footprint, need only minor maintenance because of fewer moving parts, and are quieter than other technologies. Plus, they emit about one-tenth of the oxides of nitrogen compared to reciprocating engines.
The microturbine project’s highlights include:
- LMOP Project of the Year, 2001.
- Eliminates approximately 10,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides each year.
- Paves the way for LFG microturbine energy facilities at nearby landfills, promising further development of clean energy and reduction of pollution in Southern California.
- Informs students and local residents about environmental conservation at a newly built Environmental Awareness Center.
The city developed the original LFGE project idea in 1986, but it took 13 years to overcome project barriers. Among the barriers were an unfavorable electric power market and numerous regulatory and financial hurdles. But the deregulation of the California power market and the Section 29 tax credit made the 5.6 MW project feasible.
The project also benefited from California’s power shortage in early 2001. Sensing it could help alleviate the shortage, Los Angeles’ Bureau of Sanitation and Department of Water and Power found a way to use the remaining LFG. In just five months, the city constructed its microturbine energy facility. Last Updated: 8/18/2008
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