By Andrew Nusca
smartplanet
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The U.S. Department of Defense has announced that it will convert landfill gas into renewable energy at its Fort Benning, Ga. base.
The technology comes courtesy of Irvine, Calif.-based FlexEnergy, a cleantech firm that seeks to create clean energy from greenhouse gases.
More than 300 million tons of methane seep into the atmosphere each year, but most is too diluted for current technology to produce electricity from it. For FlexEnergy, that spells business opportunity, and its ”plug-and-play” technology can oxidize gases as low as 1.5 percent methane.
The company already has a pilot program underway at the Lamb Canyon Landfill in Riverside County, Calif.
The Pentagon project involves two powerstations, rated at 250 kilowatts and with enough power to provide electricity for 250 homes. For the DoD, the benefits are clear: meet federal mandates and takes steps toward energy independence and security.
