A ribbon cutting ceremony today officially opened the nearby Pecan Row landfill gas generating facility, which will produce more than 4 MW of power for Green Power EMC, a green energy cooperative owned by 38 Electric Membership Corp.s (EMC) in Georgia.
Green Power EMC has contracted with Energy Systems Group to purchase the full energy output of the Pecan Row facility — about 4.8 MW of total generation — and now has a green generating capability of about 32 MW. The Pecan Row Landfill is owned and operated by Advanced Energy, which sells waste methane to the project owner, Energy Services Group. Energy Services Group produces electricity for Green Power EMC by using the waste methane as fuel in generating units.
Green Power EMC President & CEO Jeff Pratt said the methane gas created by decomposing landfills is more than 20 times more harmful to our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. This project uses these waste emissions to generate useful energy for about 2000 Georgia homes and is equivalent to about 67,000 solar panels.
Green Power EMC was the first green energy provider in the state. It was created by Georgia’s EMCs in 2001 and has been selling green energy since 2003. In addition to landfill gas generation, Green Power EMC obtains green power from renewable power facilities all over the state, including low-impact hydroelectric, biomass from wood waste and solar power.
EMCs that own Green Power EMC serve more than 4.1 million Georgia residents.
Green Power EMC Members include Altamaha EMC, Amicalola EMC, Canoochee EMC, Carroll EMC, Central Georgia EMC, Coastal Electric Cooperative, Cobb EMC, Colquitt EMC, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Diverse Power, Excelsior EMC, Flint Energies, Grady EMC, GreyStone Power Corp., Habersham EMC, Hart EMC, Irwin EMC, Jackson EMC, Jefferson Energy Cooperative, Little Ocmulgee EMC, Middle Georgia EMC, Mitchell EMC, Ocmulgee EMC, Oconee EMC, Okefenoke Rural EMC, Planters EMC, Rayle EMC, Satilla Rural EMC, Sawnee EMC, Slash Pine EMC, Snapping Shoals EMC, Southern Rivers Energy, Sumter EMC, Three Notch EMC, Tri-County EMC, Upson EMC, Walton EMC and Washington EMC.
