Case Study: BMW Manufacturing achieves 50% of its plant’s energy from landfill gas with Ameresco

BMW Manufacturing - Customer Case Study

BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg, SC faced the challenge of powering a large vehicle assembly plant more sustainably while reducing emissions and making use of largely idle on‑site turbines. BMW partnered with Ameresco to pursue a landfill gas‑to‑energy approach (design‑build, turbine retrofit, power purchase agreement) that would convert methane reclaimed from Waste Management’s Palmetto Landfill into usable plant energy.

Ameresco developed, engineered, built and now operates a 9.5‑mile landfill gas pipeline with cleaning and compression stations, retrofitted the existing energy center and returned four 1.25 MW gas turbines to service on landfill gas, and implemented cogeneration for electricity and hot water (BMW purchases about 4,000 cfm of landfill gas). As a result, Ameresco’s project supplies roughly 50% of the plant’s total energy, reduces CO2 emissions by about 92,000 tons per year, mitigates energy market volatility and was delivered with no upfront capital required.

BMW

Josef Kerscher

President