Landfill Gases

Generating electricity from landfill methane turns a source of greenhouse gas into green power.

At the Sauk County (Wis.) landfill, Alliant Energy and subsidiary RMT, Inc., completed a project to capture methane gas produced by decomposing waste at the landfill and cleanly burning the gas to generate electricity.

The landfill gas is purchased by Alliant Energy-WPL as fuel for sixteen Capstone™ MicroTurbines. The 480 kilowatts of electricity produced could power about 250 average homes.

The Sauk County project was the first landfill multi-microturbine installation in Wisconsin.

Other Alliant Energy landfill gas projects include:

  • Mayville, Wisconsin: Alliant Energy purchases electricity produced at the Superior Glacier Ridge Landfill. This project produces 2.3 megawatts of renewable energy, supplying 1000 homes.
  • Berlin, Wisconsin: We're partnering with National By-Products on a generating facility that ups the state's supply of renewable energy by 2.4 megawatts - enough to power approximately 1200 homes. Alliant Energy owns, operates and maintains the generation equipment.
  • Janesville, Wisconsin: Alliant Energy signed a 20-year agreement to purchase electricity generated at the city's landfill.
  • Antioch, Illinois: The local high school is using landfill-powered electricity thanks to an award-winning project implemented by Alliant Energy subsidiary RMT, Inc.

Learn more:

Read these RMT, Inc., customer profiles to learn more about methane recovery

RMT Customer Profile: Sauk County Landfill [PDF]

RMT Customer Profile: Antioch Community High School [PDF]