Landfill energy project

When you think landfill you probably don't think "renewable energy source." Think again! Gundersen partnered with La Crosse County on a project that captures waste biogas at the County landfill and turns it into electricity and heat.

Enough energy is created to make one of Gundersen's multi-building campuses the only one in the country to be 100 percent energy independent.

Waste degrades underground at the La Crosse County landfill. As it decomposes, it gives off about 300 cubic feet of gas a minute. More than half of that is methane. The methane is captured and piped to an engine installed on the Gundersen Onalaska Campus. The gas powers an engine and turns a generator that produces electricity and creates heat. The electricity is sent to the power grid and used by households and businesses throughout the community. The heat is used to heat buildings and water on the Gundersen Onalaska Campus.