Our project is a 238,000 SF brick manufacturing facility in Terre Haute, Indiana. The project consists of 5,000 SF of office space and 233,000 SF of manufacturing area, including extrusion, drying, and kiln equipment. The energy required for the manufacturing process exceeds 90% of the facility\'s total energy load. We are submitting a separate CIR to address quantifying energy savings for the manufacturing process. In the brick industry, the typical manufacturing process (specifically the kiln) utilizes natural gas as a primary energy source. To maximize energy savings and reduce the environmental and economic impact of brick-making, our Client has selected a site that is directly adjacent to a municipal landfill, with plans to fuel the kiln with methane off-gassing from the landfill. Currently, the methane is collected, burned, and flared directly into the atmosphere; however, it can be contained, cleaned and pressurized so that it may be used constructively in lieu of natural gas. Our Client has obtained permission from the landfill to tap into this energy source. As part of our project scope, we will install compressors and an underground pipeline to transport the landfill gas to the manufacturing facility. This will replace the majority of natural gas that powers the kiln and vastly reduce the amount of on-grid energy required by the facility. Our Client will install and maintain all equipment required to prepare, transport, and apply this methane to the manufacturing process. Other than allowing us to tap into this un-used resource, the operator of the landfill will have no involvement or responsibility in this venture. Please verify that landfill off-gassing qualifies for credit under EA credit 2 in this case, even though the landfill itself is not owned by our client or located within our project site. We will calculate renewable energy as a percentage of the total building annual energy cost, including process energy.
Yes, the system described meets the requirements needed to achieve credit under EAc2, despite the fact that the source of the energy (here, the landfill gas) is not directly on site. Because the project owner will install and maintain the equipment for the land fill gas extraction, and be the sole user of the gas, the renewable energy system falls under the LEED scope of the project and can effectively be considered "on-site." However, in order for this project to achieve LEED-NC v2.2 EAc2 credits, the following conditions need to be met: 1) Because the landfill gas will be used to in lieu of natural gas in a manufacturing process, the full process loads must be included in all energy cost and use estimates, whether or not the project is attempting to earn any credits under EAc1 (it is not clear from the CIR if full energy modeling will be performed for this credit). As per LEED-NC v2.2 EAc1 CIR ruling dated 5/13/2007, a full description will need to be provided of how the baseline and proposed energy usage were estimated for the project, as industrial energy usage does not fall under the purview of ASHRAE 90.1-2004. Because of the nature of this project, the EAc2 compliance path using CBECS data to estimate annual energy costs is not appropriate. 2) As per the LEED-NC v2.2 EAc2 Reference Guide language, the method used to predict the quantity of energy generated by on-site renewable systems should be clearly stated in the LEED submittal narrative... Cost savings from renewable energy systems\' shall be reported exclusive of energy costs associated with system operation (i.e., deduct energy costs of pumps, fans, and other auxiliary devices). 3) Because the landfill is on municipal property, but the gas extraction system will be privately owned by the project owner, a clear chain of custody for rights to the gas and the associated Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) needs to be documented. Based on the documentation requirements outlined in the LEED-NC v2.1 EAc2.1CIR ruling dated 10/3/2006 (which specifically addressed third party ownership of a renewable energy system) the following requirements need to be met: A. There is a minimum 10-year contract with the local municipality to secure the rights to the landfill gas that will be used in the project. B. There must be clear documentation for accounting purposes whether the purchase includes the RECs or just the landfill gas. C. If the purchase does not include the RECs, the building owner or energy system owner must make the 200% offset REC purchase described in the first portion of the CIR for at least 10 years. Applicable Internationally.