Technical assessment of fuel cell operation on landfill gas at the Groton, CT, landfill

This paper summarizes the results of a seminal assessment conducted on a fuel cell technology that generates electrical power from landfill waste gas. This assessment at Groton, Connecticut was the second such project conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the first being conducted at the Penrose Power Station near Los Angeles, California. The main objective was to demonstrate the suitability of the landfill gas energy conversion equipment at Groton with different conditions and gas compositions than at Penrose. The operation of the landfill gas cleanup system removed contaminants from the gas stream with essentially the same efficacy as at Penrose, even though the quantity and kinds of contaminants were somewhat different. The fuel cell power plant’s maximum output power improved from 137 kW at Penrose to 165 kW at Groton, due to a 31% increase in the heating value of the Groton landfill gas.