Orange County landfill gas to power UNC buildings

State and county officials, UNC leaders and community members gathered Tuesday to commemorate the fruition of a collaboration in environmental sustainability.

At a ground-breaking ceremony held at the Solid Waste Administration offices, N.C. Rep. Joe Hackney, D-Orange, Orange County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Valerie Foushee and UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp stood awaiting a countdown which signaled the beginning of the first phase of the Orange County landfill gas project.

Holes will be drilled into the Orange County landfill and pipes will draw out methane, a product of the organisms that decompose garbage, so it can be burned and used as electricity.

The methane will then be used to power UNC buildings on Airport Drive.

Following the countdown, the trio pressed three separate buttons on a podium to ignite a ceremonial flame, which caught fire after a few seconds and was followed by applause from the audience.

“It’s a big day for me,” said UNC Director of Energy Services Ray DuBose, who added that construction on the project officially began Monday.

DuBose said the gas will be flaring within a year.

“We put this together in a relatively short period of time,” he said.

At the event, DuBose outlined the $5 million project to the crowd, describing its generators, pipelines and the collection system.

The project is one of many to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the carbon footprint of the University. Thorp said he wants this footprint to be zero by 2050.

Thorp and others said the project symbolizes the commitment the University and Orange County have to improving sustainability.

“Orange County and the University make a strong team,” Foushee said.

Although the landfill is scheduled to close in three years, officials said that will not hinder the production of methane, which could continue for up to several decades.

“As long as there’s gas, there’s a project,” said County Commissioner Barry Jacobs.

Hackney said he considered the project multifunctional because it keeps methane out of the atmosphere, helps UNC move toward carbon neutrality, creates revenue and generates a local power source.

“It is truly a four-win situation,” Hackney said. “It will be widely noticed all across the state and the country.

“We have, in this area, been leaders in the sustainability movement.”

Jacobs said he appreciates the ongoing partnership between the University and the county and hopes it can continue.

“We go from success to success,” he said.

Jacobs said he hopes any future environmental projects will also have a positive impact on the community.

“There is no waste,” he said, “only materials that we haven’t figured out how to use yet.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.