Offset Projects

Planet Energy purchases carbon offsets from these emission-reducing projects in a quantity equal to the carbon-emissions resulting from our green customers’ natural gas consumption. All projects meet the requirements of the Voluntary Carbon Standards Program, and are verified by a third party.

Des Plaines Landfill Gas Project

Landfill gas is a powerful greenhouse gas accounting for 35% of the man-made methane emissions in the United States. Methane, the major component of landfill gas is an alternative fuel to natural gas and a fuel for the generation of electrical energy.

The emission reduction project located at the Des Plaines landfill in Illinois uses most of the landfill gas to support a 3500 kilowatt electrical generating facility - enough electricity to power 3500 homes.

Type: Landfill Gas Capture
Location: United States
Operator: Sexton Energy LLC
Volume: 80,000+ tonnes CO2-e per year
Status: Underway
Certification: This project is registered with the GHG Registryof the Environmental Resource Trust and preparing for 2008 submission to the Voluntary Carbon Standard
Verifier: Landfill+ Inc.
Documentation: Project Verification Report

Agricultural Waste Cogeneration

Textile mills in India require relatively large amounts of energy, both to produce process steam and to generate electricity to run plant equipment. In most cases, plant operators burn polluting coal or heavy fuel oil to produce heat for steam, and import electricity from India’s fossil fuel-dominated transmission grid. As a result, the textile industry, while an important driver of economic development and employment across India, also contributes to India’s rapidly growing carbon footprint.

The Punjab Textile Industry Rice Husk Cogeneration project was the first of its kind in Punjab state to use rice husks to provide thermal energy and electricity. Rice husks are produced in large quantities by local farmers, and are traditionally burned in the field. This project makes use of a locally occurring resource to fire the textile mill’s boiler and produce process steam. By installing a cogeneration system, this steam also runs a turbine that generates electricity. As a result, the textile mill has been able to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and imported electricity to power its operations, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by thousands of tonnes of CO2 per year.

Over and above the carbon reductions, the textile plant’s environmental management system is ISO 14001 certified, and includes many additional environmental reduction initiatives. The project also provides added income to local farmers from the sale of their rice husks.

The project owners supply clothing to the local market, as well as major international brands you may buy products from including The Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, and Marks & Spencer.

Type: Cogeneration
Location: India
Operator: Nahar Industries Enterprises Ltd.
Verifier: DNV – Det Norske Veritas Certification
Project Volume: 47, 853 tonnes CO2-e
Vintage: 2005
Project Status: Underway
Verification: VCS
Verifier: DNV Det Norske Vertitas
Documentation: on request

coming soon!

Sustainable Forestry

Florida is a highly productive and active timber growing area. However, what were historically commercial timberlands are being sold to property developers. Currently, the state is losing over 500 acres a day to housing construction and urban sprawl and this trend will continue as the region’s population increases.

Located in Central Florida, The Burch Tree Farm project helps maintain and promote long-term accelerated tree growth through improved forestry practices and selective low impact logging, resulting in increased carbon sequestration. In addition, the project provides wildlife habitat and corridor preservation, reduced soil erosion and water preservation.

Type: Forestry Management IMF
Location: USA
Operator: Burch Tree Farm , LLC
Volume: 15,000 tonnes CO2-e per year
Status: Starts Fall 2008
Certification: project will be VCS II certified
Documentation: Project Idea Note PIN (PDF download)

Xinjiang China Wind Power Project

Northwest China’s growing demand for electricity is primarily supplied by the abundant coal available in the local area. Since coal is a non-renewable fossil fuel, the impact on both the local environment and the global atmosphere is significant.

Xinjiang Xiaocaohu Wind Power Project offers a combination of positive environmental, economic and sustainable development benefits. The 49.5MW wind power farm will supply 116.255GWh per year of clean, renewable on-grid power to Northwest China, displacing coal-fired generation and avoiding 109,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, the project improves the local environment by avoiding sulphur emissions, increases the standard of living through local job creation (50 jobs at project), and supports development of local economy by utilizing domestic made state-of-the-art wind turbines.

Type: Renewable Energy (on-grid wind)
Location: China
Operator: Xinjiang Huadian Xiaocaohu Wind Power Co., Ltd
Volume: 109,000+ tonnes CO2-e per year
Status: Operations began 2008
Certification: VCS: Voluntary Carbon Standard
Verifier /DOE: SGS UK Ltd.
Verification Certificate: View Certificate
Documentation: CDM Project Description Document

 

 

This list of Carbon Offset Projects is provided on an indicative basis and remains subject to change and availability.