The
Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) and the
Granger company have formed a partnership to turn landfill gas into energy.
Renewable energy will be produced from the landfill gases at Granger's Wood Road
Generating Station on Lansing’s north side. Landfills naturally produce gas; roughly 50 percent is methane, which can be captured and used to generate electricity.
It works like this: the gas from the landfill is captured using a perforated piping system, pulled into a generating station, and then processed. After it's been processed, the gas can be used as a fuel source for engine generators that carry electricity. This electricity is distributed to the utility grid that powers our lights, blow dryers and television sets. You get the idea.
BWL has agreed to buy all of the energy created from Granger's Wood Road Generating system, guaranteeing there will be demand for the converted gas.
Granger plans on expanding the Wood Road Generating plant so it can meet further methane conversion plans.
"Our partnership with Granger will help the rest of the region see the opportunities that exist with alternative energy development," says new BWL General Manager, Peter Lark. "Michigan can do something great with this technology, not only from a business and consumer standpoint, but it can help get our economy back on track."
BWL has a goal of acquiring seven percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2016.
Ivy Hughes is the innovations editor for
Capital Gains. She can be reached at
ivy@capitalgainsmedia.com.
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie
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