NSIP TOTAL SITE SOLUTION
THE BIOFUEL FARM
LANDFILL GAS / BIOFUEL FARM
Reimagining Prima Deshecha Landfill as a Model for Renewable Energy.
Orange County has an extraordinary opportunity to transform the Prima Deshecha Landfill from a traditional waste facility into a source of reliable, locally produced renewable energy—and create a model that could be replicated at landfills across America.
Thousands of U.S. landfills currently lack landfill-gas energy recovery systems.
Prima Deshecha will demonstrate a better approach.
A NEW APPROACH
Landfill methane is both an environmental problem and an energy resource.
As waste decomposes, it naturally produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. But when properly captured, that same methane becomes a valuable renewable fuel capable of producing electricity
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Rather than simply destroying this resource through flaring, we should capture it and put it to work.
TURNING WASTED GAS INTO ENERGY
At Prima Deshecha, current estimates indicate approximately 3,000 cubic feet per minute of landfill gas is being flared, more than 4.3 million cubic feet every day.
That represents a tremendous amount of potential energy being wasted.
Preliminary estimates indicate an optimized landfill-gas-to-energy operation could potentially generate up to approximately 30 megawatts of continuous power, enough electricity for roughly 26,000 homes.
Unlike solar and wind, landfill gas is produced day and night, regardless of weather.
Even after a landfill closes, decomposing waste can continue producing methane for years.
YESTERDAY’S GARBAGE. TOMORROW’S ENERGY.
THE BIOFUEL FARM AND RESEARCH LAB
Our vision is to create a state-of-the-art Biofuel Farm and Bio-Energy Research Lab at Prima Deshecha.
The facility would not simply generate electricity. It would become a living laboratory dedicated to improving methane capture, increasing energy production, reducing emissions, and developing technologies that could be replicated at landfills nationwide.
Our vision will help change how America views landfills, from waste disposal sites and greenhouse-gas producers into productive renewable-energy assets.
Our goal is to make Prima Deshecha the: “SILICON VALLEY OF BIO-ENERGY.”
A NATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
The potential reaches far beyond Orange County.
Our preliminary analysis estimates that advanced landfill-gas recovery deployed across suitable U.S. landfills could represent as much as 36 gigawatts of continuous distributed power—potentially enough electricity for approximately 27 million homes.
At the same time, improved methane capture could significantly reduce one of America's major sources of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Prima Deshecha could become the place where this new model is demonstrated, measured, improved, and proven.
WHY PRIMA DESHECHA MATTERS
Prima Deshecha is located approximately one mile from San Juan Hills High School and near established South Orange County communities.
The landfill's Environmental Impact Report identifies environmental concerns involving VOCs, NOx, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and greenhouse-gas emissions.
If the traditional landfill model creates significant environmental impacts, Orange County should be asking:
CAN WE DO BETTER?
Yes.
- Capture the methane.
- Convert it into useful energy.
- Reduce unnecessary flaring and emissions.
- Produce dependable renewable electricity.
- Develop better landfill-energy technology.
- Create a model America can duplicate.
Prima Deshecha can become more than a landfill. It can become a national model for turning waste into energy, bringing together environmental responsibility, technological innovation, and American energy independence. It moves Prima Deshecha from being a 'Toxic Gas Producer' to being the
'Silicon Valley of Bio-Energy'."
The Vision — A Global Carbon‑Negative Utility
Globally, there are 10,000+ methane‑producing landfills.
Worldwide potential:
3–5 PWh/year of carbon‑negative electricity
NSIP becomes the world’s largest carbon‑negative energy producer.
PWh stands for petawatt-hour, a massive unit of energy equal to 1,000,000,000,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh)
YESTERDAY’S GARBAGE. TOMORROW’S ENERGY.
New Steam Independent Power Inc.
THE CLEAR ALTERNATIVE
PRIMA DESHECHA BIOFUEL FARM
30 MW PERPETUAL ENERGY DESIGN
THE “ENDLESS BATTERY”
The Prima Deshecha Landfill can be transformed from an environmental liability into a 30 MW Perpetual Energy Refinery, providing firm, renewable baseload power for South Orange County.
By capping and capturing approximately 4,000 SCFM of legacy landfill gas, the Biofuel Farm can convert methane that would otherwise be wasted into reliable electricity. Unlike intermittent solar and wind, landfill gas is produced continuously. 24 HOURS a DAY. 365 DAYS a YEAR For DECACES.
1 | THE TOTAL-SITE SOLUTION
The New Steam Independent Power Inc. (NSIP) Biofuel Farm combines methane capture, odor containment, renewable power generation, and next-generation waste processing into one integrated system.
Airtight Legacy Capping
Deploy high-efficiency LLDPE (Linear Low-Density Polyethylene) synthetic membranes across legacy landfill areas to substantially increase methane capture and reduce fugitive emissions.
Negative-Pressure Tipping Barns
Process incoming waste inside modular negative-pressure facilities, capturing gases and odors before they escape into surrounding communities.
Linear Generators
Convert recovered landfill methane into firm 24/7 electricity, creating a dependable local power source without relying on weather conditions.
Together, these technologies move Prima Deshecha beyond conventional waste management and toward Resource Recovery and Energy Production.
2 | THE PERPETUAL ENERGY HUB
Landfill methane provides the foundation. The next step is expanding the renewable fuel supply through anaerobic digestion and engineered feedstocks.
Animal Waste Co-Digestion
South Orange County's equestrian and pet waste can become an additional biofuel feedstock rather than a disposal problem.
A High-Solids Anaerobic Digester would combine complementary organic materials to improve the biological digestion process while supporting California's SB 1383 organics-diversion goals.
Biological Impact on the Digester
HORSE WASTE — CARBON
Horse manure, bedding, and straw provide a carbon-rich feedstock.
DOG WASTE — NITROGEN
Because of its relatively high nitrogen content, dog waste can complement carbon-rich materials and support methane-producing bacteria.
C BALANCING
Combining carbon-rich and nitrogen-rich feedstocks can improve the carbon-to-nitrogen (C) balance needed for efficient anaerobic digestion and methane production.
THERMOPHILIC DIGESTION
The proposed industrial digester would operate at thermophilic temperatures, providing high-temperature treatment of pathogens while converting organic waste into usable biogas.
THE “POOP-TO-POWER” LOOP
A public collection pilot could place dedicated receptacles and certified compostable/digestible bags at participating South Orange County dog parks and trails. Collected pet waste would be delivered to the Biofuel Farm's digester rather than entering the landfill or local watershed.
PET WASTE → BIOFUEL → ELECTRICITY
The pilot creates a highly visible example of the project's larger mission:
Turning everyday waste problems into useful energy resources.
Water-Quality Benefit
Removing pet waste from parks and trails can also reduce nitrogen and waste runoff into
South Orange County creeks and local beaches,
creating an additional environmental benefit beyond energy production.
3 | ENGINEERED FEEDSTOCKS
The Bio-Energy Research & Innovation Lab could study high-yield renewable feedstocks designed to increase methane production without expanding the physical landfill footprint.
Kelp / Macroalgae South Orange County's coastal location creates an opportunity to evaluate kelp as a rapidly renewable co-digestion feedstock.
Termite-Inspired Bioreactors
Research into specialized cellulolytic microorganisms could improve the breakdown of wood, paper, cardboard, and other cellulose-rich waste.
These next-generation technologies could provide pathways for expanding energy production beyond the initial 30 MW design.
4 | ENERGY RESILIENCY FOR SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY
The Biofuel Farm can become part of a South Orange County microgrid, providing dependable power when the regional grid is stressed or unavailable.
Firm Baseload Power
- Landfill gas provides continuous electricity rather than weather-dependent generation.
Islanding Capability
- A properly designed microgrid could continue supplying designated critical infrastructure during a regional outage.
Water Security
The project could explore dedicated power for critical facilities such as the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project, water pumps, and emergency infrastructure.
Prima Deshecha could become not only an energy producer, but an important
energy-resiliency asset for South Orange County.
5 | THE BIO-ENERGY RESEARCH AND INNOVATION LAB
The Biofuel Farm will not simply use today's technology.
It will help develop tomorrow's.
An on-site Bio-Energy Research & Innovation Lab will turn Prima Deshecha into a living laboratory focused on:
Methane Capture — Improve recovery from existing and future landfill areas.
Advanced Biofuels — Test animal waste, kelp, and other renewable organic feedstocks.
Biological Innovation — Develop microorganisms and digestion techniques that accelerate waste conversion.
Cleaner Energy Conversion — Test next-generation technologies such as Linear Generators.
Air-Quality Research — Measure the effect of improved containment and methane recovery on fugitive emissions.
Potential partnerships could include DOE National Laboratories, UCI, UCSD, UCLA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and private-sector technology developers.
THE OBJECTIVE:
**Transform Prima Deshecha into the
“SILICON VALLEY OF BIO-ENERGY.”**
6 | ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
The NSIP approach combines renewable energy production with aggressive emissions control.
CAPTURE MORE METHANE
Airtight synthetic capping is designed to substantially increase landfill-gas recovery.
CONTAIN TOXIC GAS AND ODORS
Negative-pressure waste-processing facilities capture emissions at the source.
DIVERT ORGANIC WASTE
Anaerobic digestion creates an alternative pathway for equestrian, pet, and other suitable organic waste.
PROTECT LOCAL WATERWAYS
Pet-waste diversion can help reduce waste and nitrogen runoff into local creeks and beaches.
SUPPORT ORANGE COUNTY'S CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
The concept is designed around key objectives involving:
Methane Capture
Energy Resiliency
Circular Economy
Aggressive Methane Management
The goal is not simply to manage landfill emissions.
The goal is to turn those emissions into energy.
7 | FUNDING, PARTNERSHIPS AND TECHNICAL RESOURCES
A project of this scale could draw upon federal, state, utility, and research programs for technical assistance, project financing, demonstration funding, and commercialization.
CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION (CEC)
GFO-25-304 — Modeling and Monitoring Air Quality and Co-Benefits of Energy Interventions
Potentially relevant to measuring the air-quality benefits of improved landfill containment and methane capture.
CEC Funding Opportunities & Solicitations
California Energy Commission — Funding Opportunities
CALRECYCLE
Organics Grant Program
Potential support for organics-diversion infrastructure, including anaerobic digestion and co-digestion.
CalRecycle Funding Programs
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Loan Program
Financing opportunities for qualifying infrastructure that diverts California-generated organics from landfills.
CalRecycle — Greenhouse Gas Reduction Loans
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Waste-to-Energy and Materials Technical Assistance
Technical assistance for state, local, and tribal governments exploring waste-to-energy and resource-recovery opportunities.
Bioenergy Technologies Office — Funding Opportunities
DOE — Bioenergy Technologies Office
DOE Lab Partnering Service
Potential pathway for collaboration with DOE National Laboratories and commercialization resources.
DOE Lab Partnering Service — Biotechnology
Office of Energy Dominance Financing
DOE — Energy Dominance Financing
FEDERAL CLEAN-ENERGY INCENTIVES
The project should evaluate eligibility for the Clean Electricity Investment Credit (Section 48E) and applicable Elective Pay provisions based on final project design, ownership, and federal requirements.
Clean Electricity Investment Credit — Section 48E
Applicable production-based clean-energy incentives should also be evaluated for qualifying landfill-gas electricity generation.
EPA — Landfill Gas Energy Tax Credit Information
SOCALGAS BIOMETHANE INCENTIVE PROGRAM
The Biomethane Monetary Incentive Program may provide another potential resource for qualifying biomethane interconnection projects.
SoCalGas — Biomethane Monetary Incentive Program
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
Potential research partners include:
DOE National Laboratories
University of California, Irvine (UCI)
University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Together, these partnerships could help establish Prima Deshecha as a national demonstration site for landfill methane recovery, advanced anaerobic digestion, engineered feedstocks, and next-generation waste-to-energy technology.
8 | THE TRIPLE WIN
ENVIRONMENTAL
Capture methane.
Reduce fugitive emissions and odors.
Divert organic waste.
Protect local waterways.
ENERGY
Produce firm 24/7 renewable baseload power.
Strengthen South Orange County's energy resiliency.
Develop a local microgrid.
Turn waste into a long-term energy resource.
ECONOMIC
Create construction and permanent technical jobs.
Generate value from a resource currently being wasted.
Attract federal, state, research, and private investment.
Establish Orange County as a center for waste-to-energy innovation.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Prima Deshecha does not have to remain simply a place where Orange County puts its waste.
It can become a resource-recovery facility, renewable power plant, and
Bio-Energy Research & Innovation center.
Capture the methane.
Contain the emissions and odors.
Convert waste into electricity.
Turn animal and organic waste into biofuel.
Develop next-generation energy technology.
Build a resilient local energy supply.
And create a model that can be replicated across America.
**“LET'S STOP BEING A DUMP AND START BEING A POWER PLANT.”**