Green Power Switch News
Vol. 2, No. 4—Summer 2002

Allen Fossil Plant methane facility is largest Green Power Switch provider

From left: Peter Alfonso, manager of the Memphis wastewater treatment plant, and Carmen Ledbetter and Angela Hamlin of Green Power Switch examine the plant’s covered lagoon, where methane is captured.

Landfill gas, which consists mainly of methane and carbon dioxide, is produced when organic wastes in landfill sites decay. The gas at the wastewater facility, as in all landfills over a certain size, must be burned, or flared, in order to reduce the hazard arising from gas buildup. The plant’s lagoon was covered to capture the methane, which provides fuel for powering cleaner electricity generation.

“Memphis is proud to put our methane to good use for green energy production,” says Peter Alfonso, manager of the Memphis wastewater treatment facility.

What’s the driving force behind Green Power Switch?
“Windy,” the official car of Green Power Switch, is one of just 100,000 Toyota Prius vehicles on the road worldwide. The hybrid sedan’s advanced technology combines a gas engine with an electric motor to create an environmentally sound, fuel-efficient automobile.

Windy, as the car was dubbed by the Green Power Switch staff, has logged more than 8,000 miles traveling across the Tennessee Valley promoting the renewable energy program.

The Prius gets 52 miles per gallon and is so clean-burning that it has been certified as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV). Still, it has all the practicality of a regular car. For more information about the Toyota Prius, please visit the Toyota Web site.