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<\/a>Since November, the project at the Coastal Park Landfill has been converting landfill gas into electricity by digging perforated pipes or wells to extract methane gas from the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The City of Cape Town has allocated R93 million to a gas-to-power plant at the Coastal Park Landfill near Muizenberg, which converts waste gas into electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plant, which is powered by methane gas emissions from the decomposing refuse at the site, is part of a project that has generated enough energy to supply over 4,300 households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aeronautics research and space exploration group, NASA, reported that the concentration of methane in the atmosphere, occurring from both natural sources and human activities, has more than doubled since 1826.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scientists have estimated that this increase in methane emissions has caused a 20-30% increase in global warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Methane is a greenhouse gas and is ranked as the second-largest contributor to warming the Earth (global warming), behind carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Decomposing waste at landfill sites, along with agriculture and fossil fuels, is reportedly the largest contributor to methane emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To reduce methane emissions from landfills, the City of Cape Town has implemented initiatives like the gas-to-power project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aim of these landfill projects, such as the gas-to-power plant at Coastal Park, is to prevent solid waste from entering the environment and spreading disease, and to keep the air clean for communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“At Coastal Park Landfill, the City\u2019s waste-to-energy project will generate 1.3 million kWh a month. Of this, 1.2 million kWh will be fed into the Cape Town grid,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management Grant Twigg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This is enough power to supply more than 4 000 households. The remaining power will be used to run operations at the landfill facility, generating further savings and efficiency for ratepayers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Since November, the project at the Coastal Park Landfill has been converting landfill gas into electricity by digging perforated pipes or wells to extract methane gas from the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n