Wednesday, November 26, 2003

New Green Power facility operational

Green Power EMC has brought online its second landfill-gas-to-electricity generation site.

The Roberts Road landfill facility in Fayette County began generating 1 megawatt of power to the statewide electric grid Oct. 16, adding to the 4 megawatts of electricity generated beginning Oct. 1 at the Taylor County landfill, the site of Georgia’s first renewable energy facility.

Landfill gas is Georgia's most abundant and economical renewable resource. It is always present and must be burned off at larger landfills, whether or not energy is generated.

“When completed in 2004, Green Power’s total landfill gas project will generate nine megawatts of energy annually,” said Michael Whiteside, Green Power EMC president and CEO of Coweta-Fayette EMC. “This amount can meet the energy needs of 5,600 homes. It also has the same environmental benefit as taking 84,000 cars off the road, planting 114,000 acres of forest, reducing the use of 1,890 railroad cars of coal, or eliminating 9,000,000 barrels of oil each year.”

Customers signing up for Green Power through Coweta-Fayette EMC will pay an additional $4 charge each month per 150 kilowatt-hour block of electricity.

“A portion of that charge supports a research and development fund that will help bring to market Georgia’s other more costly renewable resources in the future, including wind, solar power and low-impact hydroelectric generation,” Whiteside said.

Members of Green Power EMC include Carroll EMC of Carrollton, Cobb EMC of Marietta, Coweta-Fayette EMC of Newnan, Habersham EMC in Clarksville, Irwin EMC of Ocilla, Jackson EMC of Cumming, Snapping Shoals EMC of Covington, Tri-County EMC of Gray, Walton EMC in Monroe, Coastal Electric of Midway, Jefferson Energy of Wrens, GreyStone Power of Douglasville, and Flint Energies of Reynolds. All are electric cooperatives owned by the members they serve.

Green Power EMC has been named a “Landfill Methane Outreach Program Energy Partner” by the United States Environmental Protection Agency Landfill Methane Outreach Program, in recognition of its development of landfill gas energy projects.

For more information on Green Power, visit www.greenpoweremc.com or call Coweta-Fayette EMC, your local membership cooperation.

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