Granger News
Officials from Kent County and Granger hosted an open house today for a generating plant that will provide green energy to thousands of homes and businesses in the area.
Swarupa Ganguli, Environmental Specialist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Landfill Methane Outreach Program; Arthur Tanis, Chair, Kent County Board of Public Works; Doug Wood, Director, Kent County Department of Public Works; Joel Zylstra, Chief Operating Officer, Granger Energy Services; and Keith Granger, Chief Executive Officer, Granger; were on hand to celebrate the successful launch of the green energy project.
"Landfills have long been valuable resources as safe repositories for the waste we all generate. Now, landfills are an even greater resource as we tap into the energy potential of trash," Granger said.
In June 2008, ground was broken for this landfill gas-to-electricity project. The development of the Granger Electric and Kent County Generating Station at the County owned and operated South Kent Landfill is now complete, with a generating capacity of 3.2 megawatts of electricity for Consumers Energy customers. The project is a green power public/private partnership with Kent County and Granger.
The Kent County Department Public Works is responsible for the landfill gas collection system. Granger will manage the facilities and operations for the purpose of generating power. The electricity will be transmitted via Consumer's Energy utility grid.
The annual reduction of greenhouse gases attributable to this project is approximately the same as the annual greenhouse gas emission from more than 25,034 passenger vehicles, or the carbon sequestered by more than 31,064 acres of pine or fir forests. In addition, annual energy savings equate to powering nearly 2,000 average homes.
"The environmental management systems at South Kent Landfill are ISO 14001:2004 certified, this project is another example of the Department's effort to maintain an outstanding solid waste disposal facility," Doug Wood, Department of Public Works Director, remarked.
Renewable energy is produced from landfill gases at the South Kent County Landfill. The naturally occurring gas in landfills, comprised of about 50 percent methane, is captured through a perforated pipe gathering system. The gas is pulled from the landfill into the generating station, processed and used as a fuel source for engine generator sets. The engine generators create electricity, which is distributed to the utility grid.
The project leaders hailed the achievement as a significant stride toward goals set by Governor Jennifer Granholm to lead the charge in energy efficiency and renewable energy development in Michigan.
