Case Study: Philadelphia Water Department achieves 27,870‑ton annual CO2 reduction and major energy cost savings with Ameresco biogas-to-energy solution

Philadelphia Water Department Saves the Equivalent of 27,870 Tons of CO2 Annually

The Philadelphia Water Department faced rising energy costs and the need to make its large wastewater treatment operations more sustainable and reliable. To address this, PWD partnered with Ameresco to deploy renewable energy and cogeneration technologies, specifically a wastewater biogas-to-energy facility that captures and refines biogas for on-site power and thermal use.

Ameresco designed, built, and maintains the $47.5 million project that produces 5.6 MW of capacity from biogas, delivers an estimated $12,000,000 in energy savings over the contract, and secured $17 million in incentives to lower taxpayer cost. The Ameresco solution reduced reliance on fossil-fuel power, created local green jobs, improved water system reliability, cut annual energy costs, and prevents the equivalent of 27,870 tons of CO2 emissions each year.

Philadelphia Water Department

Howard Neukrug

Water Commissioner