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Background
Launched in May 2006
Goal: Become the greenest, most sustainable community
How: Do what others are doing and then some
Largest reduction of the carbon footprint in the shortest period of time: 50% reduction by 2015
Be the first community to produce its own electricity and fuel from renewable, sustainable resources
Government actions leading the way - examples:New aquatic center powered by solar and biogasWaste to energy plantZoning for walkable, livable communities
Business actions following close behind - examples:Green building codeThree new office buildings powered by geothermal energyNew, 40,000 sq.ft. office building contains 40% recyclable construction materials
Household actions right in sync:Town government newsletter, Town Crier, recommends ways to save energy and money:
use EnergyStar productsinstall a programmable thermostatlet the sun shine ininflate your tires
THE PLAN
THE PLAN• Zero waste - don’t waste the wastes
• Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Recycle wastes into energy for sustainability
• Lead by example and engage the community
Getting there from here - examples of ways to reduce GHG:
Plant a tree - 2,000 lbs of GHG prevented
Turn off & unplug electrical appliances -1,000 lbs annually p/household
Wash clothes in cold water - 1,150 lbs annually per household
Waste-to-energy plant - 75,000 tons annually
Retrofit government buildings - 8,000 tons annually
Change traffic lights to LEDs - 2,400 tons annually
Local Energy Independence
Communities can become energy-independent from wastes and residues found in their own backyards
Technology has arrived to efficiently produce electricity and fuel from a variety of wastes
There should be enough trash being dumped at the landfill that cannot be recycled to electrify every single home in the community
Some towns in Europe are doing this through district heating plants
Landfills represent a huge, untapped source of electricity and fuel
300 million tons of MSW and 300 million tons of C&D are dumped at landfillsThat’s 30 million homes powered with green electricity or 20 billion gallons of ethanol
The President and Congress want 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel, ethanol and biodiesel, by 2020
Corn ethanol and biodiesel only gets us to 20 billion gallons
Food vs. fuel debate
Ecology vs. fuel debate
Communities can fill the gap
Local energy production is much more efficient and less polluting than what we have now with large, centralized power plants and immense grid systems
Small, 5 MW to 30 MW plants close to the consumer on distributed electricity are more secure, more reliable, and cheaper than 100 MW to 2,000 MW plants
The price of trash and wastes is not subject to geopolitics and commodity traders
Local Energy Independence
LANDFILLS ARE LIABILITIES
Turning a liability into an asset:• Accumulation of municipal solid waste is
a serious problem with worldwide environmental consequences
• Land is becoming scarce and landfills are filling up
– For example, one of the L.A. county landfills will close in 2010 and the best option is to rail the MSW 120 miles into the Nevada desert
• Burying trash in a hole releases methane gas—24 times more toxic than carbon dioxide—and leachate into the groundwater
• Every 2 tons of trash buried in a hole emits 1 ton of greenhouse gases
– Our small plant will prevent 75,000 tons of GHG
How Will It Work?
The centerpiece is a public-private partnership
A commercial company will build, operate, and maintain the plant
The community will provide space for the plant at the municipal landfill
Infrastructure is already in place
Environmental permits have already been issued
Landfill operating expenses will greatly decrease
Less trash must be buried
Less landfill maintenance will be required
The community will realize a profit
The sale of locally produced fuel
The sale of electricity to the grid
Landfill maintenance never ends…
What Can Be Used?
Almost anything:
Household trash
MSW
C&D
Restaurant waste
Tree clippings
Agricultural residues
Sewer sludge
Animal manures and wastes
Used tires
Auto shredded material“Put Warrenton on a low carbon diet.”
—Mayor George B. Fitch
WASTES & RESIDUES
• Municipal solid waste– 75% to 80% organic; of this:
• Paper 35%• Yard trimmings 13%• Food scraps 12%• Plastics 12%
• Commercial debris (construction & demolition)– 50% organic; of this:
• Wood 60%• Used tires—much higher carbon/BTU (22,000 vs. 5,000 BTU)• Restaurant wastes• Oil filters• High-moisture wastes:
– Animal manures, including poultry litter• The new Biogas Production Incentive Act should greatly spur this development
• Sewer sludge• The technology is not quite there to be able to combine high-moisture and low-moisture
wastes—right now, they need separate operations
Preliminary Screening Feedstock Summary Table – 50 mi. radius
Feedstock
Feedstock
Cost/ Benefit
MSW 9,491,403 tons/yr$20 - $30 per ton
tipping fee
Forest Thinnings 426,197 dry tons/yr $25 - $39 per ton
Forest Residues 378,133 dry tons/yr $20 - $27 per ton
Mill Residues 421,628 dry tons/yr $10 - $35 per ton
Manufacturing and Urban Wood Residues
1,517,437 dry tons/yr Tipping fee - $23 per ton
Corn Stover 456,545 dry tons/yr $53 - $60 per ton
Switchgrass Potential 130,869 dry tons/yr $50 - $70 per ton
Animal Manures 1,241,335 dry tons/yr $20 to $30 per ton
Resource Potential
Primary Mill Wood Residues Potential Key Supplier
Companies that showed potential as being key suppliers were contacted directly. Three companies in particular were selected and are listed below.
• Rock Hill Lumber, Culpeper VA: This company is a sawing and planning mill. They generate 1,000 tons/month of green chips at a price of $24/ton and 700 tons/month of sawdust at $12.50/ton. Delivery costs range between $2.50-$3.00/ton. Rock Hill can offer guaranteed consistent delivery to Warrenton at reduced prices for a steady supply.
•Merrilat, Culpeper VA: This furniture manufacturing company disposes of a large amount of wood wastes (skids, doors, boards). The material is currently sent to the Culpeper transfer station to be landfilled. Merrilat is very interested in working out a deal with Warrenton for the wood wastes.
• North American Housing Corp., Front Royal, VA: NAHC constructs modular homes and in the process generates much wood waste. There is no current market for the wastes which are sent to the Front Royal landfill. This company would be willing to negotiate with Warrenton for the material.
Monthly wood waste supply estimates are currently being sought from Merrilat and NAHC.
BenefitsThis not your traditional waste-to-energy plant with tall smokestakes burning garbage.
There are hardly any emissions and it is well within EPA and State environmental regulations.
The closed loop biomass plant will:
generate its own power
require not one ounce of fossil fuels
produce negligible particulate emissions
pay for itself, not require taxpayer dollars
make a community energy independent
be scalable as more feedstocks are captured
not divert food crops like corn and beans to make renewable fuels
capture methane leaking from landfills
free up space needed for landfills
return idle farmaland into production of dedicated energy crops
reduce the carbon footprint for the community“Modern” waste-to-energy plant
ECONOMICS OF WASTE TO ENERGY
• A small-scale plant must have negative feedstock cost– The tipping fee must go to the plant
• Revenues from tipping fees produce almost as much as the revenue from electricity sales
• Capital costs are very high, so operating costs must be low• If we can afford large negative feedstock costs from MSW and C&D,
then we can afford to buy other feedstocks like wood chips– If we get paid a tipping fee of $40/ton to take MSW and C&D, then we can afford
to pay $25/ton for wood chips• Operating costs can be kept low by a low-interest loan from the Rural Utilities Service
of the USDA• 5% interest and a 35-year term vs. 9.5% interest and 20 years—from private sources
—would reduce debt payments by nearly $1 million per year• The gasification process yields 1,100 KWH per ton of MSW vs. 300 KWH from
traditional mass-burn (incinerator) plants. The plasma process yields 1,500 KWH but at a higher capital cost.