Landfill Methane Outreach Program
Project Profile
Tools
University of New Hampshire EcoLine™ Cogeneration System
Self Developed (Absence of third party developer) - Location:
- Rochester, New Hampshire
- End User(s):
- University of New Hampshire
- Sector(s):
- University
- Landfill(s):
- Turnkey Recycling & Environmental Enterprises
- Landfill Size:
- 8.75 million tons waste-in-place (1999)
- Project Type:
- High Btu (piped to existing cogeneration gas turbine plant)
- Project Size:
- 5,500 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm)
- Environmental Benefits:
- Carbon sequestered annually by 14,600 acres of pine or fir forests, annual greenhouse gas emissions from 13,100 passenger vehicles, or carbon dioxide emissions from 159,500 barrels of oil consumed. Annual energy savings equate to heating 18,700 homes. Estimated emissions reductions of 0.0187 million metric tons of carbon equivalents.
- LMOP Partners Involved:
- EMCOR Energy Services, Inc., SCS Engineers and SCS Field Services, Siemens, University of New Hampshire, Waste Management, Inc., Xebec Adsorption Inc.
- Last Updated:
- 7/7/2010
In May 2009, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) reinforced its reputation for sustainability when it became the first university in the nation to use landfill gas (LFG) as its primary fuel source. In the university's trade-marked EcoLine™ system, LFG provides up to 85 percent of the five million square-foot campus' electricity and heat.
The EcoLine™ partnership between UNH and Waste Management's Turnkey Recycling and Environmental Enterprises (TREE) landfill brought together a wide range of engineers, scientists, equipment suppliers, consultants, and regulators. The team, from several different companies, designed and integrated different components that must work seamlessly to collect, clean, and supply medium- to high-Btu LFG for energy production.
A gas processing plant designed by SCS Engineers removes carbon dioxide and other contaminants. Then, LFG flows through a 12.7-mile pipeline to the cogeneration plant. A fuel management system designed by EMCOR Energy Services ensures the LFG meets the fuel specifications for the existing Siemens turbine generator, which was originally designed to operate on natural gas. Finally, the cogeneration plant captures heat otherwise lost during the production of electricity and uses this energy to heat campus buildings.
The project's success has been touted nationally, including on National Public Radio. UNH expects the project to reduce UNH's carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2015.
This massive project, more than four years in the making, will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and stabilize our fuel source and costs. EcoLine™ showcases UNH's fiscal and environmental responsibility and secures our leadership position in sustainability. —Mark W. Huddleston, UNH President