. BMW to Operate World's First Green Paint
Shop in its Spartanburg Plant, SC
Body in White entering the paint shop in the Spartanburg
plant
BMW Manufacturing
Co. is now using recycled methane gas generated by the Palmetto
Landfill near Spartanburg to provide energy to its paint shop, reducing
area emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, by 17,000 tons
and recovering enough energy to heat 10,000 homes a year.
BMW Manufacturing
gained international recognition four years ago, when the
automotive manufacturer announced in June of 2002 that a
9.5-mile pipeline was constructed from the landfill to its
facility to provide some of the plant's energy needs. In
May, the plant began using recycled methane gas in its paint
shop, the part of the facility that consumes about 50 percent
of the plant's total energy. The innovative recycling program
will also save the company a seven figure sum annually in
energy costs.
The efficient cogeneration
of electricity and hot water has been a part of BMW's overall plan
since construction of this plant began in 1993. The move to use
recycled landfill gas to power the paint shop began in 2004. The
manufacturing plant in Spartanburg is part of BMW's global production
network, which has reduced CO2 emissions by 30 percent in the last
ten years.
BMW is working with
long-standing partner Durr Systems of Plymouth, Mich., to modify
and upgrade equipment so landfill gas can be used to fuel the paint
shop. Durr Systems specializes in developing and implementing energy
performance projects in industrial facilities.
Durr Systems is an industrial
service and product provider with the tools and expertise to develop and
implement energy performance improvements projects in industrial facilities.
Ameresco designed, built and owns the pipeline, gas processing and gas compression
facilities as well as manages the overall operations of the project. Waste
Management, which owns and operates the Palmetto Landfill, currently supplies
landfill gas to 69 gas-to-energy projects in 21 states.
