NGO Energy Vision Presents Awards to Groundbreaking Projects Lowering U.S. Methane Emissions

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): At its 18^th annual Leadership Awards event in Manhattan, the NGO Energy Vision recognized trailblazing projects that cut methane emissions.  One award was given toSouth Jersey Industries(SJI) for its Linden Renewable Energy project, a massive anaerobic digester (AD) project located in New Jersey that will process food waste from the New York City region, capturing the methane biogases produced during decomposition so they don’t escape into the atmosphere. Another award was presented to LoCI Controls and Landfill Group for their next-generation initiative to maximize the capture of methane biogas from landfills. A third went to Energy Vision’s founder and lifelong environmental advocate Joanna Underwood, for her inspiring research that sparked national interest in the organic waste-to-fuel strategy, and whose work on pollution prevention strategies made significant contributions to environmental progress for more than four decades.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with 85 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over 20 years. According to the Global Carbon Project’s latest Global Methane Budget, methane emissions are now at record highs and rising faster than any time since record keeping began. The methane-cutting projects recognized with Energy Vision Leadership Awards are critically important models for reversing methane’s rise. With many more projects like them the US could meet its commitment under the Global Methane Pledge of cutting methane emissions at least 30% by 2030, as Energy Vision showed in its May 2024 report Meeting the Methane Challenge.

ADs and advanced landfill gas collection systems are scalable, commercial options for cutting methane emissions from organic wastes. The biogases captured in ADs and in landfill gas collection systems can be used to generate onsite heat and power. Or they can be refined into clean, renewable natural gas (RNG), which has the lowest lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of any available fuel today. 

RNG is chemically similar to fossil gas but utterly unlike it in its production and impacts.  Since it is made from organic wastes and involves no drilling, RNG does not bring new carbon up from deep underground and release it into the atmosphere. When food waste and/or manure is processed in ADs, the RNG produced is deemed “net carbon-negative” since more greenhouse gases are captured by making it than are emitted when the fuel is burned – a big net gain for the climate. 

With methane concentrations at record highs, and methane emissions rising faster than ever, the race is on to reverse these trends and meet the Global Methane Pledge goal of cutting methane emissions 30% by 2030. Lowering methane quickly is the best avenue we have for reducing near-term global temperature rise. Advanced landfill gas collection systems, AD, and RNG are key pieces of the puzzle for cutting methane emissions from organic wastes deeply, rapidly, and cost-effectively. The 2024 Energy Vision awardees have each played leadership roles in pioneering and scaling them up.

TheLinden Renewable Energy (LRE) project now under construction is one of the largest AD projects in the US.Located in Linden, New Jersey and owned by South Jersey Industries (SJI) in partnership with RNG Energy Solutions and Captona, the project will convert organic waste into bio-methane using anerobic digestion technology in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. The bio-methane will then be upgraded to pipeline-quality natural gas for injection into the Elizabethtown Gas system next to the site.

When complete, the facility will convert up to 1,475 tons of waste to produce up to 3,783MMBtu/day of RNG—this is the energy equivalent value of 30,200 gallons of gasoline per day.By diverting organic waste from landfills, LRE is anticipated to avoid an estimated 120,000 metric tons of CO2e annually when working at full capacity. “Renewable energy development is an integral element to our strategic approach,” said Steven Cocchi, SJI’s Senior Vice President & CFO. “In addition to providing safe, reliable and affordable energy to more than 730,000 New Jersey customers, SJI is committed to investing in sustainability efforts.” 

LoCI Controls has pioneered the capture and use of real-time data on landfills so that, working together with Landfill Group across its nationwide portfolio of landfill gas projects, the plant operators have the data, insights, and troubleshooting guidance they need to increase methane capture. For example, using LoCI’s system at Landfill Group’s Hamm Sanitary Landfill in Lawrence, Kansas increased methane gas capture by an average of 32% over four years. More of this gas could be converted into RNG fuel, which could consistently meet pipeline injection specifications and lead to significant increases in revenue.

“LoCI is honored to receive this award and recognition from Energy Vision for our methane emission reduction work across Landfill Group’s projects,” said Peter Quigley, CEO and Chairman of LoCI Controls. “We’re proud of our continued relationship with Landfill Group and appreciate their like-minded focus on sustainability in the industry — proving partnerships like ours can quickly and effectively minimize these harmful methane emissions.” 

“As a company, Landfill Group continues to focus on environmental stewardship and sustainability in our industry,” said Mike Fenton, Director of Sales & Project Delivery, Landfill Group. “We’re grateful for Energy Vision’s recent recognition of our impact, made even stronger through early adoption of LoCI’s innovative technology, to capture more methane for RNG and reduce emissions.” 

Joanna Underwood, founder, president emerita and senior adviser to Energy Vision, and founder and longtime president of the environmental group INFORM, was recognized for her lifelong, pathbreaking environmental leadership across a broad range of issues and sectors. “Joanna’s career and impact are reflected in part by this year’s other awardees,” said Matt Tomich, Energy Vision President. “She has been a visionary leader focused entirely on solutions that can solve our most pressing environmental challenges for five decades. Joanna was among the first in the US to recognize the need and opportunity to better manage our organic waste and the methane it produces through decomposition. We are thrilled to give her this recognition.”

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantage.com