Friday, March 23, 2012

Methane is it the Future?

With the worlds energy advances focusing on sustainability methane gas is the naturally occurring energy few pay attention to. Methane gas fills are sewer systems, landfills and farms. Animal waste as well as decay produces methane gas, this gas can be harnessed through a methane combustion style engine, which then powers a generator to create electricity. A setup like this at a small landfill costs between 350 and 400 thousand dollars but can produce 265 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power 100 homes. So the question is why are more landfills, farms and sewage plants using this technology? Most landfills are run on a municipal level as well as waste control, so this becomes an issue where the government must stand up and install this sort of apparatus across Canada. Methane gas isn’t just used to produce electricity it can also be gathered and stored as a gas until used for heating or even in vehicles. Burning methane gas is better for the environment and ozone than letting it escape. Once escaped into the atmosphere methane gas is a big contributor to global warming causing the suns rays to be caught inside the ozone opposed to being bounced back out. We are letting a potentially unlimited energy source escape and in turn hurt ourselves in the end. There must more done specifically by government to harness this wasted energy source.

By: James Coulas

http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/190362

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G1881

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