The project
The Birkdale Renewable Energy Facility is located at Birkdale Landfill, 25 km south east of Brisbane, and is overseen by the Redland Shire Council. Commissioned in April 2010, the facility, developed by LMS Generation, comprises of an internal combustion engine, which utilises landfill gas to generate electricity.
Of the project at Birkdale, Redland City Mayor, Councillor Melva Hobson says: “We are certainly pleased to have this facility in the Redlands. It is one of the ways we are working to achieve our community’s visions for greater use of renewable energy and adopting leading waste practices.”
The technology
The specifically designed LMS Generation gas extraction system at the Birkdale Renewable Energy Facility comprises of a network of gas extraction wells maintained under vacuum by gas blowers, which supply fuel to the generating system via a gas pipeline. The generator module package includes a transformer, engine, gas blower, gas conditioning, air-cooled radiator package and exhaust muffler system that was pre-commissioned before going to site. The generator used at Birkdale is an accredited generator under the Mandatory Renewable Energy Scheme and New South Wales Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme.
Fuel for the plant is obtained from the landfill via LMS proprietary gas extraction technology, which is customised to suit the site’s individual requirements. Wells are drilled into the landfill, and gas is then extracted and fed into the processing facility where it is converted into energy. The site also has an LMS Enclosed Flare that is used to combust any excess gas generated at the site and during periods of maintenance.
The prime mover used at the facility is a Caterpillar G512 engine, which hosts 1200 or 1400 revolutions per minute.
Environmental impact
Per annum, the facility is expected to save approximately 21,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the facility also is expected to save over 9 million litres of water per year, when compared with a wet-cooled coal fired power station generating the same amount of electricity.
The facility is estimated to generate over 16,000 kilowatts of renewable electricity each day, or 6.5 gigawatts annually, and will provide enough green electricity to power approximately 1,200 homes on a continuous basis.
So far the Birkdale Renewable Energy Facility has produced over 7,500 megawatts of renewable energy and abated more than 27,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent since its commissioning.
Benefits of waste renewal:
Energy recovery from landfill waste is an effective tool for improving resource recovery. Key to this is facilitating a long term commitment for the placement of a critical mass of organic waste into well-engineered landfill cells. The location of these landfills in proximity to a suitable capacity grid connection further enhances the cost effectiveness of a grid connection for electricity export. This offers communities a low-cost waste management solution with a significant carbon sink that provides a local source of base-load renewable energy with the potential for ongoing financial returns.
