California Homes to be Powered by Trash

As solid waste in landfills decomposes, a natural by-product, landfill gas, is released and contains high amounts of methane – a potent greenhouse gas. Instead of allowing this gas to be emitted into the atmosphere, a new $60 million, 113,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art facility will generate electric power by capturing the landfill gas created by the millions of tons of waste buried at the landfill.

The landfill gas-to-electricity plant at the Frank R. Bowerman landfill east of Irvine, CA will power thousands of local homes and businesses in Anaheim, generate millions of dollars in royalties for the county government system, and provide other environmental and economic benefits

The power is generated using Cat reciprocating engine generators equipped to run on bio-fuels such as landfill gas. 

"The Bowerman Power facility keeps the county moving in the right direction with additional green energy,” says Todd Spitzer, Orange County 3rd District Supervisor. “Powering this plant adds 160,000 megawatt-hours annually to put into the grid, which is enough energy to power 26,000 homes. That brings the total production at Orange County's landfills up to 380,000 megawatt-hours that is enough power for the households in Brea, Placentia, and Yorba Linda."

The facility occupies 2.6 acres of the 725-acre Bowerman Landfill, one of the largest on the West Coast. Financed by Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation (Cat Financial), the project was developed and is owned and operated by Bowerman Power, a subsidiary of Pennsylvania-based Montauk Energy.

Powered by Trash

The facility generates electric power by capturing landfill gas created by the millions of tons of waste buried at Bowerman.

Landfill gas, created by the decomposition of millions of tons of waste buried at the landfill, contains approximately 50% methane. Methane is the primary component in natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas. Caterpillar reciprocating engines feature gas clean-up and emissions reduction technologies to meet all local, state and federal air quality requirements. The power-generating operations require no water and will also will prevent approximately 53,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

The Bowerman Power Project is the first to combine three proven technologies in a state-of-the-art renewable energy project meeting all environmental requirements. It is the largest landfill gas-fueled reciprocating engine project in California and Montauk's largest power project to date. Moreover, with the completion of this project, all large landfills in California now operate landfill gas-based, renewable energy plants.

"This is the largest project of its kind utilizing landfill gas that combines gas feedstock cleanup, large-scale Cat reciprocating engine-generators and selective catalytic reduction technology to meet the strict emission requirements here in Orange County," David Herrman, Montauk CEO says. "The result is efficient operations with high on-line availability, coupled with the ample and steady gas supply from the landfill, to ensure reliable production of renewable energy and all its benefits 24 hours a day, 365 days a year."

This innovative green project won approval from the full Board of Supervisors in October 2014 after a previous agreement for the facility was revised and updated. Ground was broken in January 2015.

The Bowerman Power Project is Orange County's third landfill gas-to-energy facility. The other two are Olinda (Brea) and Prima Deshecha (San Juan Capistrano). Together, the three facilities produce approximately 380,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power some 56,000 homes in Southern California.