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Environment 
Nature has provided a balance. Humans and other animals breathe oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Plants use carbon dioxide and release oxygen. As long as that balance maintains itself everything is perfect. However, when we mine fossil fuel and burn it we release carbon dioxide and other gases that were not intended to be released and we upset the balance of nature. Global warming is taking place because greenhouse gases are increasing in an unbalanced manner. The impact of greenhouse gases will continue until society finds an alternative to fossil fuel electricity. The earth's atmosphere contains various gases including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (NO2) and chlorofluoro-carbons (CFC's) which absorb infrared radiation emitted from the earth's surface. Higher concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere relate to increased absorption capacity for infrared radiation. Because control of the earth's overall surface temperature depends on a balance between incoming sunlight energy (constant) and re-radiated infra-red energy, a net increase in atmospheric absorption of energy causes a net increase in the earth's temperature. This is the cause of the "greenhouse" effect with its associated global warming from additional amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG's). The relative contributions of specific GHG's to global warming also vary. Carbon dioxide is the most abundant GHG in the atmosphere and is used as a basis to describe GHG emissions. For example, CH4 equals 21 CO2 equivalents, N2O equals 310 CO2 equivalents, etc. Certain of the GHG's are naturally produced (CO2 and CH4) while others (N2O and CFC's) are primarily manmade (anthropogenic). In addition to the natural (biogenic) sources of CO2 and CH4, substantial increases of these have occurred over the last century due to anthropogenic sources. All fossil fuel power plants are anthropogenic sources of GHG's. Green Electricity The supply of adequate electricity to its community and to its industries is a major challenge for most communities throughout the world. The demand for electricity continues to grow but the supply is not as easily expanded. As a society we pay a significant environmental price for the production of electricity from most conventional sources of power. Hydropower is the most economical form of power but our rivers can only hold so many dams. Hydropower is severely impacted by the amount of rainfall. Nuclear power plants are environmentally not safe because of the potential impact of a failure. In addition, disposing of spent fuel has become a crisis in many countries. Traditional coal plants are the cause of "acid rain" and are primary contributors to the greenhouse effect. The newer version coal gasification plants, called IGCC plants, have fewer emissions than traditional coal plants' and have a higher efficiency, but they still contribute heavily to the greenhouse effect. Natural gas plants have become quite popular for demand power because they are easy to startup and shut down. They are fairly clean but they contribute to the greenhouse effect and natural gas has a limited supply. Solar power and wind power are not practical in most areas and have a limited capacity based on current technology. Fuel cells represent a significant potential, however, they are still in the development stage. Green electricity is defined as power produced from renewable resources. Renewable resources include wind, solar, hydro and waste. IGGE believes that municipal waste and other forms of waste represent a valuable resource and source of green electricity that should be exploited. Energy produced from waste has the following advantages over any other form of renewable energy.
Landfills have been the standard answer for disposing of waste for many years-not because they are a good solution but because the alternatives were not viewed as being economically viable. For many years no one understood the "true" cost of operating a landfill. Initially we just dumped waste in open pits and covered them up. After a number of years we learned that contaminants in the waste were leaching into the ground water and contaminating aquifers. Landfill gas was escaping into surrounding neighborhoods and into basements of homes. We then began to line the landfills and over time have developed fairly sophisticated liner systems. However, even the best liner system will eventually leak and cause environmental damage. During this time a variety of programs have been developed to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills. We have developed recycling programs, composting, anaerobic digestion and a variety of other techniques to reduce the waste. However, we are still dumping most of our waste into landfills because of a lack of viable economic alternatives. There is no other technology that can compete with the cost of a landfill, when considering only the cost to construct and operate the landfill. However, when we consider the cost of transporting waste to a distant landfill, or the cost to society for the environmental damage caused by the landfill, or the value of the land that could be used for other purposes, or the future liability of a landfill, then the "real" cost of a landfill starts to grow. Many municipalities do not look at the "life cycle" cost of operating a landfill and are only concerned about this year's budget shortfall. Other municipalities have not found viable alternatives that can adequately solve the entire problem. In many cases municipalities would like another alternative but are locked into existing contracts with private landfill owners. Landfills are now being banned or phased out by many communities. Cities like New York City and Toronto have stopped using landfills and are exporting their waste to other communities. These other communities are starting to realize the long-term cost of taking the waste. The world society in general is now awakening to the detrimental effects of landfills and is earnestly seeking viable alternatives. The public rarely hears of landfill gas emissions. Since landfills occupy large areas of land, emissions control for these areas are more difficult to manage than a point source at an IGGEI System plant. The biodegradable waste in the landfill produces among other things methane gas. As a greenhouse gas methane is twenty-three times more potent than carbon dioxide. Landfill gas to energy receives renewable energy credits for providing the valuable service of converting methane into carbon dioxide. With the IGGEI System plant there is an immediate and thorough conversion of the biodegradable waste in a controlled manner. Unless properly capped the emissions from landfills go largely uncontrolled. Landfills also produce a leachate that needs to be monitored and treated. The IGGEI System plant eliminates landfills and the associated environmental issues. The IGGEI System plant can also be used in conjunction with an existing landfill to process the landfill gas and leachate. The IGGEI System plant provides a comprehensive solution to the entire problem in one system.
As of 2000, there were approximately 102 "Waste to Energy" facilities using some form of combustion process operating in 31 states in the United States. These "Waste to Energy" facilities include the following technologies:
The average capital investment for "Waste to Energy" combustion plants is $3,570 per installed kWh of capacity.
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