Gas Turbine Handbook : Principles and Practices

270 Gas Turbine Handbook: Principles and Practices
cubic feet per minute of landfill gas. In 2001, RMT and the Antioch
Community School District began exploring the option of using this
landfill gas to generate electricity and heat for the nearby high
school. In April 2002, the Antioch Community School District applied
for and received a $550,000 grant from the Illinois Department of
Commerce and Community Affairs’ (DECCA’s) Renewable Energy
Resources Program (RERP) to construct a cogeneration system to use
the landfill gas to produce electricity and heat at the high school. On
December 24, 2002, construction of the system began.
The design and construction of the energy system posed a
number of challenges, including resolving local easement issues,
meeting local utility requirements, connecting to the existing school
heating system, crossing under a railroad, and meeting the USEPA’s
operational requirements. One-half mile of piping was installed to
transfer approximately 200 cubic feet per minute of cleaned and
compressed landfill gas to the school grounds, where 12 Capstone
MicroTurbines are located in a separate building. The 12 Capstone
MicroTurbines produce 360 kilowatts of electricity and, together
with the recovered heat, meet the majority of the energy requirements
for the 262,000–square foot school. The system began operating in
September 2003.
This use of landfill gas proved beneficial to all parties involved.
It provides energy at a low cost for the high school; clean, complete
combustion of waste gas; decreased emissions to the environment by
reducing the need for traditional electrical generation sources; public
relations opportunities for the school and community as being the
first school district in the U.S. to get electricity and heat from landfill
gas; and educational opportunities in physics, chemistry, economics,
and environmental management for Antioch High School students, as
a result of this state-of-the-art gas-to-energy system being located at
the school.
INTRODUCTION
In 2001, RMT contacted Antioch Community High School (ACHS)
to inquire as to their interest in using landfill gas as an energy source.
In 2002, RMT and ACHS entered into an agreement to develop the
landfill gas into the primary energy source for the high school. The