State and Local Climate and Energy Program
City of Keene Renewable Energy and Integrated Sustainable Agriculture and Biofuels Project
Keene, New Hampshire
Federal Funding: $500,000
Project Timeline: January 2011 – January 2014
Project Summary
A Public-Private Partnership to Demonstrate a Waste-Free Use of Landfill Gas
The City of Keene's civic leadership supports community efforts to save energy, reduce emissions, and create a more sustainable place to live, work, and recreate. The City of Keene, in partnership with Carbon Harvest Energy, will transform the Keene Materials Recovery Facility and closed Landfill into a demonstration-level green energy project for greenhouse gas management through a combined heat and power (CHP) plant powered by methane from the capped landfill. The proposed power plant will provide up to 600 kW of renewable energy to the grid and produce heat for a greenhouse aquaponics project and algae for animal feed and possibly biofuel production. Completing the proposed project will move the City and the community towards its greenhouse gas reduction goal, as well as serve as a solid example of Keene's commitment to moving beyond "the low-hanging" fruit.
The project will proceed in three phases. First, the Materials Recovery Facility will be connected to the electrical grid and the City will make improvements to the existing landfill gas collection system. The second phase will involve construction of the CHP plant to enable full recovery of available landfill gas and install heat recovery systems for the plant's integration to agricultural and algae production systems. Finally, the City, in partnership with Carbon Harvest Energy, will build a 20,000 square foot greenhouse with aquaculture and plant production for year-round, high quality fish protein and fresh vegetables, which will be sold locally. The CHP power generator will provide low-cost heat to the greenhouse, and the recirculating aquaculture systems will provide high value organic nutrients for the plants and the algae culture system. Working within research and development partnerships with the University of Vermont's Rubenstein School, Keene State College and Dartmouth College, the algae culture system will be designed to capture remaining wastes and carbon and convert them to algae for production of biofuel and livestock feed for fish and poultry.
This zero fossil fuel facility will remove approximately 20,000 metric tons of carbon per year from landfill gas emissions and convert this source of greenhouse gas into high quality local food, biofuel, and aquaculture feed while producing virtually zero waste. In addition, the City will share the results and progress of the project by developing a project blog posted on the city website. Tours of the facility will be given and elected leaders and project staff will deliver presentations to various audiences about the project. Keene will also seek other ways to highlight this work, including within membership organizations, events to host other government officials, or a documentary film.
Community Characteristics
| Population: | 22,539 |
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| Area: | 37.6 square miles |
| Government Type: | City |
| Community Type: | Small Urban |
| Median Household Income: | $51,375 |
Program Results/Estimated Results
| Expected GHG Reductions: | 20,000 metric tons CO2e annually |
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