Our Green Streets Blog

At DADS, a V-16 electricity generating engine is powered by methane

Not all greenhouse gas is going to waste, some of it is generating electricity. At the gigantic Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site, known to mot natives as DADS, Waste Management Corp. and the city of Denver are now capturing the greenhouse gas, methane –  generated from decomposing rubbish — and powering four Caterpillar V-16 engines. In turn, the engines generate enough electricity to feed power almost 3,000 households.

The enormous DADS facility is used as a landfill for the metropolitan Denver area and is projceted to have a 100-year lifespan. As methane gas collection grows, the Waste Management plant has been designed to add another four engines. V-16 engines will eventually be replaced with V-20 engines.