The Everbright methane gas plant in China captures greenhouse gases from a landfill site and converts the gases into renewable energy for the local community.
When rubbish is left in large piles for landfill, it decomposes slowly. As the rubbish rots, it releases greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane into the atmosphere.
Methane is a greenhouse gas 20-100 times more powerful than CO2, which means that each tonne of methane warms the Earth as much as at least 20 tonnes of CO2. It is therefore extremely important to avoid emitting methane. This project helps to address that.
In China, the population is growing so fast that there are huge problems with rubbish. As a result, much organic waste is left in landfills, emitting huge amounts of methane and CO2. All day long, the potent greenhouse gases seep up from the piles of waste and directly into the atmosphere.
As a Climaider member, you supported a plant that directly captures the methane and uses it to make renewable energy, instead of just releasing it into the atmosphere, thereby warming our planet.
By covering the container with waste, the gases are sucked through pipes to an engine, which converts the harmful gases into renewable energy and prevents them from being released into the atmosphere. The energy is fed back into the grid, providing the people of Suzhou with green energy.
So it's a machine that directly sucks greenhouse gases out of the air and converts them into energy! The plant is located in Jiangsu province near Suzhou, where only 0.57% of power came from renewable energy.
In addition to avoiding the equivalent of around 137,000 tonnes of CO2 each year (more than 8,000 Danes' annual emissions), the project also contributes to good jobs for local people, supports better educational opportunities and avoids unpleasant and potentially harmful odours and air pollution.