Durham, NH – After two years and a $49-million investment, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham has completed its EcoLine project and given the school a big head start on its goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2020.
UNH launched the EcoLine™ project in September, 2007 and completed it in May of this year. The University, the first in the country to depend on landfill gas as its primary fuel source, purchases processed methane from the Turnkey Recycling and Environmental Enterprise (TREE) facility in Rochester, which is owned and managed by Waste Management Inc. The gas can be used to produce up to 85 percent of the electricity and heat consumed on the University’s five-million sf campus.
The landfill gas-to-energy project obviously promotes environmental initiatives, but it also will save the University the other kind of green — thousands of dollars each year. The EcoLine project also sets UNH up as an example of how an educational institution can become both an economic and environmental steward.
Combined heat and power
The completion of the EcoLine project is the latest stage in the operation of UNH’s co-generation (co-gen) plant, a $28-million combined heat and power facility. Facility heat typically lost during the production of electricity warms campus buildings, making more efficient use of the University’s power resources. The process ultimately reduces sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions. During the first year of operation, the co-gen plant resulted in an estimated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 21 percent in academic year (AY) 2006 over AY 2005.
UNH’s investment in the EcoLine project covers a processing facility at the landfill and 300 extraction wells and a series of collection pipes. The facility uses compression refrigeration and heating and activated charcoal to clean the methane gas of compounds such as siloxanes (typically produced by the breakdown of materials, most notably health and beauty care products). Facility processes then odorize the gas (for leak-detection safety) before it travels 12.7 miles from TREE to UNH through 12-inch diameter, high-density polyethylene piping. The piping system runs underground along the Rochester and Spaulding Turnpike.
Energy security
The EcoLine project provides UNH with much-needed energy security. Higher fuel costs have contributed to the University’s energy costs nearly doubling in the last five years, growing at an annual rate of 18.9 percent. This is due to increasing costs in the commodity and delivery of energy. Using landfill gas in the co-gen plant will stabilize energy costs and ensure the plant has a dependable source of fuel for decades to come. UNH anticipates a payback period of 10 years.
The EcoLine project also will substantially impact the University’s carbon dioxide emissions. It is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 67 percent below 2005 levels. As part of UNH’s climate action plan, the project will help the University reach its carbon-neutral goal. Under the plan, UNH has committed to an average three percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, with goals of a 50 percent reduction by 2020 and 80 percent reduction by 2050.
Real-world education
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the United States has 3,091 landfills and 560 of these show potential to support a similar project. It’s clear that other educational institutions, municipalities, and organizations could benefit from using landfill gas as a primary or supplementary source of power. For years, landfills have been seen as a necessary evil. Projects like EcoLine could change that perception. .
Michael A. Nicoloro, P.E., (Massachusetts and New Hampshire) is director of Energy Services for S E A Consultants Inc., headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. Nicoloro’s focus is in renewable energy and natural gas. He has more than 31 years of experience working in plant and process environments. He is the former manager of Gas Supply and LNG/SCADA Operations for Commonwealth Gas Company (now N-Star), and managing director for the City of Cambridge Water Department.
