In addition, SC Landfill will facilitate the delivery of methane gas from the landfill to the Samuel H. Jones Glass Education Center, an annex of Salem County Community College that is located adjacent to the project site. The project, the first of its kind in Salem county, has been in development since July 2007. It officially went online in December 2008 and is estimated to save SCIA $80,000 annually.
More commonly called landfill gas, methane gas is produced in landfills when organic waste decomposes in the absence of oxygen. The methane is extracted from wells installed in the landfill and is fed into a series of pipes that deliver the gas to a power source. The methane is recovered and utilized as an energy source, thus eliminating the greenhouse effect of fugitive methane gas emissions, which have 20 times the atmospheric potency of carbon dioxide. A typical landfill will collect the methane and burn it off in a flare to reduce odors and buildup of the gas. If sufficient quantities are generated by the landfill, the methane can then be used to produce renewable energy, as the SC Landfill project will do.
“We are proud to move the Salem county Improvement Authority towards renewable energy possibilities,” Fred Eckert, vice president of DCO Energy, said. “The success of this project demonstrates the viability of public and private partnerships in New Jersey. Through this project’s implementation, we have helped position Salem County, DCO Energy and Marina Energy as leaders for innovative, environmentally-friendly renewable energy options in our state.”
“This relationship between SCIA and SC Landfill will continue to benefit residents of Salem County and the region,” said Jack Kugler, SCIA executive director. “We foresee this relationship expanding and evolving as we research and develop new ideas for additional projects.”
