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Record sustainable energy creation at Whitford

Whitford Landfill & Energy Park has just produced a record amount of sustainable energy for two consecutive months.

Gas Generation Technician Allan Gonzales and Landfill Technician Tino Lilomaiava are two of the team members working to maximise gas capture and energy creation at Whitford Landfill & Energy Park.

 

In June 3,290 megawatt hours were exported to the national grid – the most ever. And this record was immediately broken in July with 3,444 megawatt hours exported.

Generation Manager Cawood McCall explains that a megawatt hour is equal to 1,000 kilowatt hours or 1,000 kilowatts used continuously for one hour.*

Currently Whitford is producing enough sustainable energy to power the equivalent of 5,000 homes a year.

Cawood says Whitford is producing more energy than ever for a few reasons.

First, the team has been replacing the older generators onsite. Of the five generators at Whitford, three have been replaced in the past few years.

The gas team is also working hard on the piping system to optimise gas flow. Ground cover has also been improved, and a permanent clay capping has been installed in completed areas to maximise gas capture.

And finally, as the landfill grows, more gas can be captured.

Without modern landfills with good gas capture like Whitford, the gas from decomposing waste would be released into the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. As it is, our team captures upwards of 90% and either destroys it or converts it to electricity.

This is truly waste to energy, and a brilliant example of how Waste Management is constantly working to sustainably manage New Zealand’s waste.

*To give you an idea of what a kWh can power:

  • A 50″ LED television uses around 0.016 kWh per hour
  • Electric dishwashers use around 2 kWh per load
  • Most ovens use 2.3 kWh per hour

The average house in New Zealand, with 2 adults and 2 children, consumes about 15 – 28 kWh per day – but this can vary hugely.