Energy potential using landfill biogas and solar photovoltaic system: a case study in Brazil

This study aims to evaluate the potential of energy use by in MSW landfill sites by considering the use of landfill gas and solar photovoltaic system, through a case study. In the case of photovoltaic solar energy, it is considered that the system would be installed on the top deck of the landfill. For a Brazilian case study in a landfill consortium in Itajubá, south of the Minas Gerais’ State, the landfill gas generation was calculated using the LandGem® software. The optimum power and generator number for thermal power plant were obtained by a staggered method. The energy potential of a solar photovoltaic plant at this landfill was calculated using the PVSyst® software. During the considered periods, the analyses show that the two systems presented economic viability. There are positive effects when they are benefited as mini- and micro-distributed generation systems as preconized by the Brazilian National Electric Energy Resolution no. 482/2012 updated by the Resolution no. 687/2015. The biogas system could generate a total of 162.1 GWh for 30 years, and the solar system 15.1 GWh for 25 years of operation.