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Energy/Compost Feasibility Study

Energy/Compost Feasibility Study

******Update******


On February 6, 2012 the Palo Alto City Council approved a contract with ARI to perform several tasks.  One of those tasks was to make minor changes to the Final Feasibility Study dated 8/30/11 (revised on 9/20/11).  The need for those changes surfaced after the report was completed.  ARI has now completed new calculations and made relatively minor changes to the study.




Revised Final Feasibility Study w/o Appendices (February 20, 2012)
Updated City Council Presentation-Final Feasibility Report (February 20, 2012)

*****End of Update*****

For follow-up information on the Energy/Compost Feasibility Study, visit our Energy/Compost Facility Consideration webpage.  Alternative Resources, Inc. (ARI, the City’s Consultant) has finalized the Feasibility Study for a potential Energy/Compost Facility adjacent to the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant to convert organic materials to energy and compost. In January 2011 a Preliminary Analysis had been done by ARI on the cost and greenhouse gas emissions. Many comments were received from the public and Council Members. Those comments were addressed in the Draft Study which was presented to City Council on June 27, 2011.  No significant changes from the Draft were made in the Final (September 2011) Report.

On April 5, 2010 the Palo Alto City Council directed staff to hire a consultant to conduct a Feasibility Study for a dry anaerobic digestion facility on the southeast side of Palo Alto's wastewater treatment plant ("Plant").  (See "April 5, 2010 City Council Meeting Results." )

The Feasibility Study will investigate three potential feedstocks:  yard trimmings, food scraps and biosolids (from the Plant).  Most of Palo Alto's yard trimmings are currently made into compost at the Palo Alto Landfill.  Most food scraps are currently landfilled.  The wastewater biosolids are currently incinerated.

Dry anaerobic digestion would produce methane gas and compost.  The methane gas would be used to produce some form of energy and thus the name "Energy/Compost Feasibility Study".  Alternative Resources Inc. has been selected to conduct the Study.  The study was completed in September 2011. 

For more details on the work which led up to the Feasibility Study visit the Compost Task Force Follow-up site.

Last Updated: June 1, 2010