Waste management and the decarbonization of energy
At a glance
Waste management remains a key contributor on the path to decarbonizing the energy sector. Collecting landfill gas and converting it into electricity has been done for quite some time now. We have implemented solutions with anaerobic digestors that have seen biogas and compost produced simultaneously. We are well on the way to making renewable natural gas from waste commonplace in the waste industry.
There is unprecedented investment in decarbonizing the energy sector and an urgent challenge to do so. With this challenge comes a great opportunity to drive change and implement different types of energy on the grid from waste. This will require radical collaboration between non-traditional partners to make this happen. So, what comes next? How do we leverage investment and collaborate to find mutually beneficial solutions to both energy and waste’s greatest challenges?
Five significant ways that the waste management sector can build on its history of generating renewable products:
- Participate in the hydrogen economy as a generator and a user.
- Address the desire for renewable electricity for electric vehicle charging.
- Improve the quality of compost and digestate while mitigating emerging contaminants and generating new energy.
- Find solutions for plastics that address key components of the energy transition.
- Unlock the value of mixed waste for energy, chemicals and nutrients.
To move any of these five solutions forward, there will have to be pioneers. These pioneers must go into spaces that are uncomfortable, but that’s exactly what was done when renewable natural gas was an emerging technology. We saw trailblazers go into unchartered territory and realize the value new technologies can bring to our society. Some of the greatest successes in the waste to energy space will come from those bold enough to navigate the next suite of decarbonization solutions.
Learn more about each of the five ways the waste management sector can move towards the decarbonization of energy during Tej Gidda’s presentation at the Ontario Waste Management Association’s Annual General Meeting. Or contact us to discuss these solutions.