In 2013, Sunshine and DTE Energy will construct a landfill-gas-to-energy plant that can produce 20 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 15,000 local homes.
The plant will use state-of-the-art turbines permitted by South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). It will reduce emissions by nearly 118,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 40,000 tons of methane per year by offsetting carbon dioxide by not burning fossil fuels for energy.
When the gas-to-energy plant is operational, the total emissions reduced each year will be equivalent to:
- Taking 167,000 vehicles off the road
- Planting 239,000 acres of forest
- Turning off 1.56 million light bulbs
Nationwide, Republic Services landfill-gas-to-energy projects provide electricity for approximately 192,000 homes and gas to heat 201,000 homes. The environmental benefit is equivalent to removing more than 4 million cars from the road or planting 4.5 million acres of fir or pine trees (that's an area twice the size of Yellowstone National Park).
As of mid-2010, we have active landfill gas-to-energy projects at more than 75 of our landfills.
