Hospital Powered by Recycled Methane Gas
To most of us, the idea of generating electrical energy by harnessing the power of decomposing garbage sounds like a far-fetched, fictional idea straight out of The Swiss Family Robinson. But in actuality, it’s a very real, albeit groundbreaking process known as co-generation which recently began providing for all but 50 kilowatts of the energy necessary to power Marian Medical Center located on the Central Coast of California.
Marian’s recently completed, eco-friendly energy plant is now converting the natural byproduct of decomposition, methane gas, into clean electrical energy. The system works by capturing toxic methane gas run-off from the Santa Maria Municipal Landfill and piping it to an eco-friendly energy plant recently built on the hospital campus where it is converted to clean electrical energy via a process called cogeneration. Marian Medical Center is now one of only a handful of healthcare facilities in the nation to be powered by co-generated energy and annual electrical cost savings are estimated to be nearly $350,000.
A natural byproduct of decomposition, methane is a potent, heat-trapping gas that when left untapped, can pollute the air, soil and groundwater. Piping gas from the landfill to power the hospital is now significantly reducing methane emissions and off-setting the use of non-renewable resources such as coal, natural gas, and oil. According to Brian Guzzone, Team Leader for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Landfill Methane Gas Outreach Program, Marian is part of a small but growing number of environmentally conscious healthcare care organizations looking to combine their energy needs with the community’s environmental goals.
The project is the result of a unique partnership between Marian Medical Center, The City of Santa Maria, and Janechek & Associates. Marian’s Vice President of Professional Services, Craig Miller explains, “This truly is a win-win initiative. The community and the environment are benefiting through decreased CO2 emissions, Marian is achieving energy and financial savings, and the City of Santa Maria is making use of and receiving revenue for an otherwise unused, potentially toxic resource.”
He adds, “We hope we can serve as a role model for other organizations throughout the country. This project demonstrates that environmental stewardship has, not only immediate and long-term ecological benefits, but financial incentives as well.”
Marian will celebrate the completion of this innovative project on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. in the Southwest Parking Lot (F) of the hospital’s main campus located at 1400 East Church Street in Santa Maria, CA.
