The Power Of Trash Gas

homes, said Joe Collum, Timberline's site manager for the project.

The system could produce twice that in about 15 years, when a planned third garbage cell is expected to reach capacity, Collum said. Timberline will install a second generator in a few years to handle the increasing amount of gas.

The company won a competitive bid to sell energy to Seminole Electric Cooperative, the wholesale power supplier to 10 electric distribution co-ops across the state, including Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative. The county will get 3 percent of gross revenues, and 6 percent if the generator cranks more than 100,000 BTUs per year.

It's unclear how much money that will mean in county coffers each year, Harper said. A spokeswoman for Seminole declined to offer specifics on the terms of its contract with Timberline.

Timberline approached the county about two years ago about the project. It was an opportune time, Harper said.

Once landfills reach a certain size, federal guidelines for methane gas emissions kick in. Hernando County will reach that threshold "when the first bag of garbage is thrown into Cell 3," expected in 2010, he said.

"So we're ahead of the curve" when it comes to developing a way to dispose of the gas, Harper said.

Most landfills burn off, or flare, the gas. But more and more in Florida and throughout the country are putting it to good use. Marion County is one, and Timberline has a similar project underway in Sarasota.

Landfills are built on top of a plastic liner to prevent contaminants from leaching into the ground. Once a landfill reaches capacity, another liner is placed on top of the hills.

"When it's capped, it's like a big balloon" from which methane can be extracted for 15 years or more, Collum said.

Collum, a Brooksville resident who used to work at the landfill, will spend 40 hours a week in an adjacent control room full of equipment that monitors the conversion process.

Harper, a veteran of the solid waste field who came to Hernando County two years ago, said it's refreshing to manage a facility that will do more than collect waste.

"We're actually producing something," he said.