I Power Energy Systems: Going Green Gets Trashy

With America’s rapidly growing concerns for the environment and global warming, CO2 seems to take most of the blame, and rightly so. CO2 accounts for about 85 percent of America’s greenhouse gases. CO2 is also linked to our fossil-fuel dependence, which is increasingly highlighted by growing gas prices and the increasing number of more fuel-efficient cars today. But with all of this attention on CO2, methane gas is going virtually unnoticed. Although methane gas makes up a small portion of America’s greenhouse gas emission (only 8%), it is 21 times more damaging than CO2. This makes methane gas a significant target for any environmental standards.

Two Indiana companies are working together to do their part in reducing this dangerous methane impact. I Power Energy Systems and Indianapolis South Side Landfill have teamed up to make good use of the landfill produced methane gas. Utilizing I Power’s bio-fuel generators, and supported by the Indiana Office of Energy and Defense, the two companies are harnessing the landfill gas and producing electricity for South Side’s Admin Building, making the company less dependent on fossil fuels. “The benefits to the landfill include the electrical power generated and the opportunity to use our renewable energy source directly at our facility,” says Curt Publow, Environmental Compliance Manager for South Side Landfill. Curt realizes that South Side’s initiative alone isn’t going to be enough to change the world but he is ecstatic about doing his part. “Every kW produced by the I Power equipment is one less kW produced using traditional fossil fuels,” Curt asserts.

The success of this project has led to a second installation of an I Power generator at South Side’s sister site in Decatur County. The two companies hope that the success of these projects will show other facilities, particularly smaller facilities, that it doesn’t necessarily take a million dollar megawatt-size project to be beneficial to a landfill. With more than 3,000 active U.S. landfills, the impact these renewable energy systems could have on our planet and the U.S.’s fossil fuel dependencies could be enough to make other countries “green” with envy.

Note to Editors: In the text above, the “2″ in “CO2″ is subscript.