UK Global Warming Businesses
Global Warming Businesses are beginning to emerge. On this page we concentrate on one of the successes as an example of what has, and can, be achieved in certain business areas.
Business Case Study 1: Landfill Gas Energy Generation
Landfill waste contains a high proportion of biodegradable waste, and over the lifecycle of a landfill this waste will decompose as a result of microbial action. This decomposition, which is mostly anaerobic in nature, will release landfill gas and leachate.
Landfill gas is comprised mainly of methane and carbon dioxide, which can then be used for combustion and generation of heat and electricity. The Greengairs site in Scotland is a good example of energy generation from landfill gas. At this plant approximately 6000 m3 of gas/hour are abstracted from over 160 operational gas collection wells drilled into the waste contained in completed areas of the landfill.
Almost 12 MW of energy is generated from this one site and illustrates the energy potential that lies within waste that ends up in landfill. The use of landfill gas for energy generation is now an established technology and since its inclusion under UK renewable energy support schemes has resulted in an ever-increasing uptake rate.
The most recent figures detailing the breakdown of generation types under the Renewable Obligation scheme to date indicate that the vast majority of renewable certificates issued (approximately 48%) in the UK were to landfill gas installations (Renewables Obligation System -1 year on. See http://www.ofgem.gov.uk).
The main companies in this business sector, in the UK are:-
- Clarke Energy
- Biogas
- CPL (Coal Products) Limited
- Organics
- Flaretech (Enitial) Limited
- HAASE
- EnerG
Visit the Defra Renewable Energy web site
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