Computer simulation to evaulate the economics of landfill gas recovery

Abstract

A need exists for tools to improve evaluations of the economics of landfill gas recovery. A computer simulation tool is presented. It uses a spreadsheet computer program to calculate the economics for a fixed set of inputs, and a simulation program to consider variations in the inputs. The method calculates the methane generated each year, and estimates the costs and incomes associated with the recovery and sale of the gas. Base case results are presented for a city of 500,000. An uncertainty analysis for a hypothetical case is presented. The simulation results can help an analyst see the key variables affecting the economics of a project.