Urban solid waste, sludge from water treatment plants and livestock slurry could be used to generate up to 7% of Spain’s electricity, say researchers.

The team from the University of Zaragoza say that incinerating solid waste reduces the burden on landfill and the potential for the emission of methane as waste decomposes.

“It gives added value to waste, because it can be seen as a type of fuel with zero cost, or even a negative cost if taxes are paid to collect it,” says Norberto Fueyo, who led the study.

The study estimated that incinerating solid waste could generate 8.13-20.95 TWh of electricity a year.

The researcher favour incineration over other techniques like anaerobic digestion, which they say is much more expensive.

For Spain to meet its target under the EU 20-20-20 initiative, Fueyo says that it will be essential for the country to promote energy saving and efficiency, as well as “all possible sources of renewable energy, including waste”.

via Putting waste to work could generate 7% of Spain’s electricity | Power Generation and Distribution.