Environment + Energy Leader – Ameresco Begins Operation of RNG Facility at Illinois Landfill

Ameresco has started commercial operations at its latest renewable natural gas plant, which is expected to reduce about 27,000 tons of carbon emissions annually.

The renewable natural gas (RNG) facility, located at the Republic Services Brickyard Landfill in Danville, Illinois, is able to capture landfill gas and turn it into low-emissions fuel used as an alternative to fossil fuel-based diesel. Ameresco has now completed 12 renewable energy projects with Republic Services, with 10 more currently in permitting or construction phases.

Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest human-caused source of methane emissions, releasing about 103.7 million metric tons of carbon emissions equivalent in 2021, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The RNG process instead uses these emissions for fuel before they enter the atmosphere. The EPA estimates that waste-to-energy projects are able to capture about 60% to 90% of methane emitted from a given landfill.

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