East Kentucky Power Cooperative Renewable Energy Production Manager Michael Curtis, left, speak with U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie as they look at the methane electricity generator at the Glasgow Landfill on Sept. 4. Michael Crimmins/Glasgow News 1.
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
United States Representative Brett Guthrie came to the Glasgow Landfill to see first-hand the Gas-to-Electricity plant that is turning the landfill’s methane byproduct into useful renewable energy.
Guthrie, who is a member of the energy and commerce committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, said he is happy to see Glasgow, Farmers RECC and the East Kentucky Power Cooperative “putting this methane to good use” instead of just releasing it into the atmosphere — which, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, is a greenhouse gas that is more potent than Carbon Dioxide at retaining heat — or burning it off as they used to do.
“I’m looking at ways we can produce American energy at a better price, a cheaper price, and this is an interesting site,” Guthrie said. “It’s impressive how people here are figuring this out.”
The Gas-to-Electricity plant originally began processing methane in 2015 after Glasgow took out a million dollar loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which was paid off last year through revenue gained through methane sales.
Caralyne Pennington, director of public communications at Farmers RECC, explained the city sells the methane produced as organic material in the landfill decomposes to East Kentucky Power Cooperative, which also owns and operates the plant, who then sell the power to Farmers RECC. Pennington also said the plant is expandable with the option to add additional generators as needed as the landfill grows.
Michael Curtis, East Kentucky’s renewable energy production manager, said this generator, which is one of the smaller ones among their 19 gas-to-electricity generators, produces roughly one megawatt of electricity, an amount capable of powering roughly 550 homes, he added.
The generator also serves as a back-up generator for the Glasgow Water Company’s waste water treatment plant.
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