Manatee County to convert gas into marketable energy

Methane gas from the Lena Road landfill will be converted it into marketable energy, after Manatee County commissioners this week authorized an agreement with Johnson Controls to spearhead the initiative.

Johnson Controls — a Wisconsin company dedicated to creating sustainable spaces — will design, build and operate a renewal natural gas facility at the landfill that will transform the gas, primarily methane, into renewable fuel, according to a statement.

On top of creating renewable fuel, the project will generate environmental attributes such as renewable energy credits, carbon offsets and renewable identification numbers, which can be traded or sold.

“This is a free revenue source on stuff that we’re currently just burning off,” Manatee County Commission Chair George Kruse says in a statement following Oct. 7 vote. “We owe it to the taxpayers to try to maximize outside revenue so we can eliminate some of their costs.”

The annual county costs are expected to be $883,324, which Johnson Controls will pay to Manatee County in quarterly installments of $220,831.12 in exchange for the renewable gas, according to the agreement. If the project does not meet its savings goals, Johnson Controls is responsible for covering any shortfall, according to the statement.