Of all the energy needed for Chambersburg this year, Perzon said that it is expected that 15 percent will be from a new methane gas source. Solar will make up less than 1 percent and hydropower will make up around 3 percent. The rest will be purchased.
"In the past we purchased all of the energy from one source," Perzon said. "Now, we purchase in chunks. We are carving out expenses because we are buying less from the host utility."
Chambersburg is on the forefront of the use of methane gas, according to Perzon.
During the process, methane gas can be harvested into energy that can then be used by the local electric department.
The system, based out of the Blue Ridge landfill, has seven units that have been producing approximately 6.1 megawatts of energy from methane gas since November. The units were created when it was discovered that the landfill was producing the gas and that it could be profitable and a source of cleaner energy.
The process of converting methane gas to power begins when trash is brought to the landfill and then decomposes. The methane produced from this decomposition is collected in pipes. The methane is then burned in the gas and travels to the energy production facility.
There is currently a 30-year investment in the project, from the current store of gas from the site and a planned vertical expansion of the landfill in about eight years.
Other ideas that Perzon listed include brown gas power, which comes from other sources of methane, such as manure and organic substances, hydro power and a tire-derived fuel.
"The best energy source is many," Perzon said. "Many multiple, renewable, sustainable, energy sources."