Volkswagen May Use Methane to Power Assembly Plant

by | Aug 6, 2010

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Volkswagen (VW) wants to use methane gas from a closed landfill in the city of Chattanooga, Tenn., to power its auto assembly plant, reports Chattanooga Times Free Press. The methane gas landfill project could generate one to two megawatts of electricity daily, according to Chattanooga’s director of waste resources.

The automaker and the city are still trying to work out details of the plan that would allow VW to feed the methane into generators at the site and transmit the electricity to the plant.

Danna Bailey, EPB’s vice president of corporate communications, said in the article that VW has asked about a transmission line from the landfill to the Enterprise South Industrial park factory.

The Initiative is a win-win for both parties. If the plan is approved, the initiative will allow VW to use the renewable energy to help power a portion of the assembly plant and gain points towards its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) status from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to the article.

USGBC said in the article that the plant is the South’s first assembly plant and only the second nationally to earn LEED certification. VW plans to start producing cars early next year at the site.

And for the city, it puts to good use a resource that is currently flamed off, according to the city’s public works administrator.

Landfill gas projects are on the rise. One of the most recent includes the University of New Hampshire’s landfill gas-to-energy project in partnership with Waste Management, which will provide up to 85 percent of the campus’ electricity and heating needs when fully operational.

Waste Management also is using landfill gas to power 300 of its nearly 500 natural gas-powered waste and recycling collection trucks.

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