Powering cities with waste

Around the world approximately 40% of food is wasted, a staggering amount. This waste poses a substantial burden on landfills and accounts for 18% of methane emissions in the U.S., which is a 25 times more potent greenhouse gas compared to CO2. As a result, states and municipalities are rolling out organic waste policies and landfill bans. 

To increase the proportion of renewable electricity, capacity for energy storage must grow rapidly and become more affordable as generation from solar (and to a lesser degree wind) do not typically align with  demand. In 2018, CA curtailed 461 GWh and in just the first half of 2019, 700 GWh have already been curtailed. 

Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that has the potential to transform the way we think about energy. Its use in fuel cell technologies results in a zero emission source of energy. However, almost 90% of the hydrogen used today comes from fossil fuels, and its cost for fuel cell applications is currently restricting growth. 

Liquid fraction of food waste converted into hydrogen, and residual solids can be composted, used as animal feed, or processed into a soil product