Pennsylvania town commits to landfill, AD gas consumption

The borough (city) of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, has announced its municipal properties are now being heated with renewable natural gas (RNG) supplied by the Philadelphia-based Energy Co-op. Ronald Fisher, executive director of The Energy Co-op, says Swarthmore is the first municipality in Pennsylvania he knows of that has made the switch from conventional natural gas.

RNG or biogas can have several sources, but most commonly it is methane captured from organic waste decomposing in landfills and other waste treatment facilities, such as anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. The methane is then repurposed as a pipeline-ready energy source.

In September 2019, Swarthmore Borough Council passed a “Ready for 100” resolution entailing a pledge to transition to 100 percent renewable energy.” By adopting the resolution, the council committed to facilitating the use of 100 percent renewable sources by the government, residents and businesses in the town, according to a news release issued by The Energy Co-op.

Specifically, electricity should be renewable by 2030 and heat and transportation by 2050. “Switching to RNG is a natural interim step,” says Annie Fox from the council’s Energy Transition Task Force charged with formulating a plan to turn Swarthmore’s pledge into a reality.

“We are proud to set an example for other municipalities and residents of the Borough with the purchase of renewable natural gas. The urgency of the climate crisis requires rethinking old ways of doing things and supporting new technologies,” says Elizabeth Jenkins of Swarthmore’s Environmental Advisory Council (EAC)

Adds Fox, “Swarthmore hopes to lead the way for other local communities seeking to play their part in a vital global energy transformation.”

Says Fisher of The Energy Co-op, “We applaud Swarthmore Borough and its EAC for undertaking this initiative that not only reduces the borough’s carbon footprint, but highlights for our entire region the importance of recovering and using RNG.”

The Energy Co-op, founded in 1979, describes itself as being owned by its 5,000-plus members and as having become the first supplier of renewable electricity in southeastern Pennsylvania, in 1998.