PPL Renewable Energy and the Lycoming County Commissioners unveiled a new landfill gas-to-energy facility Friday at the Lycoming County Resource Management Services landfill in Montgomery, Pa.

“Our relationship with Lycoming County allows PPL Renewable Energy to provide energy in an environmentally responsible manner to the benefit of the community,” said Rick Klingensmith, president of PPL Global.

The new 6-megawatt facility, which includes two 3-megawatt power plants, will capture methane from decomposing trash and use it to generate up to 50 million kilowatt-hours per year of electricity. That’s enough to power 4,000 homes.

The plant will supply power to the Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex and to the region’s electric grid. The county will use heat from the power plant’s engines to heat county facilities.

Landfill gas-to-energy systems have a dual benefit for the environment by generating electricity from renewable fuel while also eliminating emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas. The power produced from  renewable energy also helps limit carbon dioxide emissions.

The Lycoming County facility is expected to prevent up to 34,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, or about the same amount as removing 6,700 cars from the road.

“This new facility will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and add a reliable source of renewable power in the community,” said Klingensmith. “It’s a great example of public and private entities coming together to find creative solutions that help meet today’s energy needs while conserving natural resources.”

Lycoming County Resource Management Services, a division of Lycoming County government, has been operating the landfill since 1978 under a permit granted in 1973. The 513-acre site is located on property owned by the Federal Bureau of Prisons adjacent to the Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex.

This regional site serves Lycoming County as well as Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Columbia and Union counties.

PPL Renewable Energy develops, owns, operates and maintains renewable and green energy projects in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States, with a portfolio of projects that totals more than 50 megawatts of electricity generation — enough to power 25,000 homes. These include solar panel installations, wind and landfill gas-to-energy projects in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont and New Jersey. 

10/15/2012