Integrys Energy Services turning trash into electricity

Sunday, December 23, 2007

From a press release issued by Integrys, parent company of Gree Bay utility Wisconsin Public Service Corporation:

Rockford, IL -- Integrys Energy Services announced that all four units at its recently completed Winnebago Energy Center, a landfill gas-to-electricity plant located in Rockford, are now operational and actively supplying electric power to the grid.

The 6.4 megawatt plant uses methane gas produced by decomposing trash to power four Caterpillar engines which generate electric power that flows back to the grid. Using the methane produced by decomposing trash to create electricity means this greenhouse gas is beneficially used and not flared or emitted to the atmosphere. The renewable energy is sold in the PJM market.

The 6.4 megawatts of green power generated at the Winnebago Energy Center is annually equivalent to taking 56,000 cars off the road; or planting 76,000 acres of trees; or powering 5,000 homes. The facility is an important energy resource because methane generation from the landfill is fairly constant, unlike other renewable sources that are dependent on local wind or solar resources. The plant has potential for expansion up to 8 megawatts.

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