U.S. Helps Chinese Coal Mines Find Ways to Reduce Methane Emissions

Timothy B. Hurst — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:24:40 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has committed more than $1 million to evaluate the economic and technical feasibility of recovering and using methane from coal mines in China. The process of mining coal releases methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, into escape into the atmosphere. If methane recovery programs are implemented at all three project sites, up to 1.8 million metric tons of the greenhouse gas could be eliminated. That’s equal to the annual emissions of up to 330,000 cars.

Down the Toilet and Back into the Grid: San Antonio to Turn Sewage Into Energy

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:17:12 +0000

Among the many other distinctions San Antonio residents can point to, they can now add one more: their city will boast the first utility system in the U.S. to capture and sell methane gas generated during sewage treatment.

The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) Board of Trustees last night approved what they call a “truly innovative contract” with Ameresco, an “independent energy solutions company” based in Framingham, Massachusetts. Under the 20-year lease and operating agreement, Ameresco will build the pipelines and other facilities needed to collect and distribute methane gas produced from the city’s sewage. In return, SAWS gets a 12 percent royalty on the open market methane sales.

Green Options » methane capture

U.S. Helps Chinese Coal Mines Find Ways to Reduce Methane Emissions

Down the Toilet and Back into the Grid: San Antonio to Turn Sewage Into Energy