Methane Gas from Landfill Fuels Arts Complex
The blacksmith shop at Jackson County Green Energy Park in North Carolina is the only one in the world fueled by landfill gas. Photo: Jackson County Green Energy Park
The commissioners of Jackson County in North Carolina knew they needed to do something about the growing levels of methane gas within the nine-acre landfill in Dillsboro. The landfill had closed in 1999, with roughly 750,000 tons of trash enclosed, and the buildup of methane gas had the potential of leaching into the soil and contaminating the water supply.
Although an environmental firm advised them to flare it off, which would allow them to burn off the flammable gas, the commissioners had a different plan.
“The county manager came to me because he knew I had a background in renewable energy,” explains Timm Muth, project director for the Jackson County Green Energy Park. “There was enough [gas] there to [power] a community project, so I suggested they put in art studios and use it to heat buildings.”
Knowing that methane gas can be used for heating in the same way as propane and natural gas, Muth helped create Green Energy Park, which has not only provided an environmentally friendly use for the gas, but has also helped revitalize the entire area.
Although he had moved to Jackson County to retire and become a professional mountain bike guide, Muth knew that his skills would add value to the project — so he re-entered the work force. “This is a tourist-driven economy, and I knew if we could do something that promoted our local artists, we would have a win-win situation,” Muth says. “Methane is more than 20 times worse than CO2 in terms of greenhouse gas effects, and for us it has provided a cost-free fuel.”
Today, the methane gas from the landfill provides power to a blacksmithing shop, a glass studio, a ceramics kiln and an art gallery. The park also is home to greenhouses, which the county uses to grow plants, and a sculpture garden that features works by local artists.
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