Dive Brief:
- Ener-Core, Inc. has received a conditional $3.29 million purchase order to install four EC-250 EcoStations at the Toyon Canyon Landfill in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. The company partnered with Delos Energy, LLC to finance the deal.
- Using the company's unique "power oxidation" technology, these stations will generate 1 MW of power for the next 10 to 15 years. The site's gas quality has been reduced to the point that it can no longer generate viable amounts of electricity with standard equipment.
- Once the city finalizes the deal, Ener-Core will re-start the existing equipment at the site to generate electricity while the four new stations are installed. The process is expected to take 12 to 18 months.
Dive Insight:
This is another positive step forward for the former landfill's integration into modern Los Angeles. The 90-acre site stopped receiving material in 1985, but wasn't officially closed until 2008. Residents first gained access to it in 2013 and the area has now become part of the city's popular Griffith Park.
The new project will also help the site comply with a new rule from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The rule, which takes effect in 2017, requires reductions in nitrogen oxide, volatile organic compounds, and carbon monoxide emissions from engines. California has set a goal to produce 50% of the state's energy from renewable sources by 2030.
Ener-Core installed its technology at the Santiago County Landfill in California last year and sees potential for expansion. The company says its method is better than venting or flaring landfill gases, as many sites currently do, because it generates "virtually zero" emissions.
