News & Insights
VIDEO: RNG: Turning emissions into energy
Why this matters now
Methane has moved to the front of the climate conversation. It warms the atmosphere far more aggressively than carbon dioxide over the short term, and it comes from sources that owners and operators already manage every day: landfills, dairies, wastewater plants, food processors, and other organic waste streams. At the same time, gas utilities, fleet operators, and industrial users are looking for credible paths to lower their Scope 1 emissions without abandoning the gas infrastructure they depend on. Renewable natural gas sits at the intersection of those pressures. The EPA has identified hundreds of strong landfill candidates alone, and developers, utilities, and waste owners are all moving to put projects in the ground.
What leaders are weighing
RNG projects look straightforward in a slide deck and complex on a site walk. Owners are weighing feedstock quality, gas yield, and seasonality against the capital cost of digesters, gas cleanup, and interconnection. They are deciding whether to pursue pipeline injection, vehicle fuel, or on-site use, and how environmental attribute markets factor into the business case. Utilities are weighing how RNG fits within broader decarbonization plans. Waste owners are weighing the value of monetizing methane against the operational discipline a gas project requires. Permitting, offtake structure, and long-term operating responsibility shape whether a project performs over its full life or stalls partway through.
How Salas O’Brien is helping clients respond
Our team brings deep experience in RNG design and construction across landfill gas and agricultural waste projects, paired with a strong network of developers, contractors, and technology providers. We help clients evaluate feedstocks, size systems, choose technology paths, and plan for operations and offtake. The focus is the right solution for each client’s specific conditions, not the most convenient one. Watch the video to see how RNG is turning emissions into a usable energy resource.
Ryan Mowery, PE
Ryan Mowery is a mechanical engineer specializing in industrial process and power. He is experienced in project management and design of power and steam generation systems, chilled water systems, thermal distribution systems, process piping, industrial HVAC, and plumbing. In addition, Ryan is specialized in the development of utility models to predict the energy usage and economic impacts associated with various district energy systems, including various combined heat and power (CHP) technologies. Ryan serves as a Principal at Salas O’Brien. Contact him at [email protected]
Adam Perkey, PE
Adam Perkey specializes in electrical design for heavy industrial and power generation systems. His work includes photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems, combined heat and power systems, central energy plants, renewable natural gas facilities, simple cycle power plants, and battery manufacturing plants. Adam’s expertise includes medium- and low-voltage distribution, utility interconnection, fault and arc flash analysis, and protective relaying. He helps project teams develop reliable, coordinated electrical infrastructure for complex industrial environments. Adam serves as a Principal at Salas O’Brien. Contact him at [email protected].
Trevor Thomason
Trevor Thomason supports industrial and energy infrastructure projects, including renewable natural gas facilities, central utility plants, data centers, industrial heat pump systems, and complex process and utility installations. His work includes hydraulic modeling, piping stress analysis, and piping system design across the full project lifecycle, from concept development and detailed engineering through construction support and commissioning. Trevor serves as a graduate mechanical engineer for Salas O’Brien. Contact him at [email protected].