Volume 3 - Program & Project Ideas (PDF - 4.5 - Natural Life Network

Natural Resources Canada – Community Energy Systems
- Case Study: Waterloo, ON
Potent greenhouse gas from a municipal landfill is transformed into electricity while
reducing odours and eliminating the release of methane gas into the atmosphere.
• Virtually 100 per cent of the methane gas is recaptured and turned into
electricity
• The City will receive royalties of up to $500,000 per year.
• Approximately 2000 houses are powered from this electricity.
• Waterloo recovers approximately 8.5 million cubic meters of each methane
and CO2 per year, reducing the impact on climate change. It also recovers
small amounts of smog-producing nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide.
Source: Regional Municipality of Waterloo. 2001. Transforming greenhouse gas into renewable
energy. FCM 2001 Best Practice Guide, p16. FCM-CMH2 Hill Sustainable Community Awards
case study.
http://kn.fcm.ca/ev.php?URL_ID=3815&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201&reload
=1067538730. For print copy, contact the Federation of Canadian Municipalities 24
Clarence Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5P3, Tel.: (613) 241-5221, ext. 245, fax: (613)
241-7440.
- Case study: Portland, OR, USA
A municipal sewage system supplies its own power from methane generated during the
sewage treatment process. The plant installed four microturbines to burn biogas from a
previously installed fuel cell that converts biogas into energy. The microturbines burn
the gas to provide electricity and heat used in the plant operations.
• The project is part of the Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development’s,
City Energy Challenge. It has reduced Portland’s energy costs by more than 2
million dollars (US) per year.
For additional information, contact www.sustainableportland.org/energy_gov_challenge.html
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