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Project types

TerraPass funds four different project types: farm power which makes good use of animal wastes; landfill gas capture which reduces the impact of our own wastes; abandoned coal mine methane capture which destroys methane gas from coal mines; and clean energy produced by wind power.

 

 

Farm power

 

TerraPass works with farms in communities across the United States to make the best possible use out of animal waste.  Through the use of anaerobic digesters methane is destroyed and energy is produced.  Additionally these digesters can also produce a variety of other products that help the farm and reduce environmental impact. The fibrous materials can be separated, dried and used as bedding while the digested liquid can be used as fertilizer.  Anaerobic digestion also aids local communities by helping to reduce water pollution and to reduce smell.

Landfill gas capture

 
Landfill gas capture turns garbage into power while reducing green house gas emissions. As waste breaks down it releases methane, a green house gas 84 times more powerful than CO2. According to the EPA methane gas from landfills is the third largest source of methane emissions in the United States. By capping the landfill and capturing the methane these projects not only destroy powerful green house gases, but they also produce gas that can be used to meet local energy needs.

Abandoned coal mine methane capture

 

Coal mines are a major source of methane emissions in the US. Methane escapes both from active mines, where it is not economical to collect it, and from abandoned mines that have reached the end of their useful life. Your money provides a helpful incentive to collect and destroy methane gas from coal mines that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere as a powerful greenhouse gas.

 

Coal mine methane projects capture methane from mines using blowers and then destroy the gas by burning it in flares, using it in generators to create electricity, or injecting it directly into the natural gas system.

Clean energy from wind farms

 

Funding wind energy helps to lower the proportion of electricity we derive from dirty power sources. When TerraPass supports a wind farm, we calculate how much carbon dioxide we’re reducing by examining the “carbon profile” of the electricity grid where the energy is produced. This carbon profile is calculated periodically by the US Environmental Protection Agency by examining the carbon dioxide emissions of all commercial energy sources within each regional grid. So, if generating a megawatt-hour of electricity results in emissions of 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide within a particular grid, then 100 MWh of clean energy generated within that grid saves 100,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.