LoCI Controls transforms landfill emissions into renewable energy with Verizon IoT solutions
As a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2012, Melinda Sims had a chance interaction with a major landfill operator that revealed a wasted opportunity. At the time, most conversations about climate centered on carbon dioxide, yet methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas in the short term, continued to leak out of landfills. Because methane was difficult to track and control, landfills unintentionally let it escape, missing the chance to capture it as a source of renewable energy. Sims believed she could help landfill operators better manage their methane emissions with technology to become part of the solution for climate change.
"I'm a mechanical engineer, so I love to build things. Landfills had almost no data about what was happening, and it was exciting to develop a system that could change that," said Melinda Sims, Co-founder and Director of Product Development at LoCI Controls.
Today, LoCI optimizes methane collection by using Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled devices and cloud software to measure and manage emissions in near real time continuously. But reliable connectivity in remote locations and consistent control of devices are essential to the success of this innovative solution.
Overcoming the limits of manual methane collection required reliable connectivity
For decades, landfill gas collection focused mainly on meeting regulations or reducing odors for nearby communities. Operators had little more than monthly snapshots of gas collection data to guide them, even though conditions inside a landfill change by the hour. Crews would walk muddy sites, adjusting wellheads by hand with little visibility into what was happening underground.
This made it nearly impossible to capture methane reliably. Valuable gas escaped into the atmosphere, compliance goals were difficult to meet, and opportunities to generate electricity, carbon credits or renewable natural gas revenue were lost.
"The idea of capturing more methane in landfills has been around for decades. The difference today is that LoCI has the technology to do it reliably even in the most remote sites, and challenging environments," said Nicole Neff, Chief Revenue Officer at LoCI Controls.
By outfitting landfills with thousands of IoT-enabled devices, LoCI provides operators with a clear, continuous picture of what is happening underground with WellWatcher.® Its 24/7/365 landfill gas measurement, analytics and control technology maximizes methane capture at landfills by making near-real-time adjustments throughout the day while helping landfills maintain methane quality. LoCI provides teams with complete visibility over the collection system and a valuable source of revenue.
"Using LoCI allows landfills to get significantly more methane out of the same trash, which translates directly into more revenue from the sale of that energy. There's a strong financial incentive for operators to adopt the technology, and just as important, the added visibility reduces risk by helping sites head off problems before they grow," said Sims.
Because landfills are remote and lack infrastructure, maintaining continuous data collection and control is challenging. To turn her vision into reality, Sims needed something that LoCI couldn't build itself: reliable connectivity and IoT device control.
.jpg?format=auto)
Verizon's technology has really allowed us to be the eyes and ears on landfills all across America. With that visibility in all of those places, we can help operators make better decisions and capture more value.
Melinda Sims, Co-founder and Director of Product Development, LoCI Controls
LoCI partners with Verizon to help scale methane capture
LoCI found a solution to its connectivity and device control challenge in Verizon IoT.
LoCI collects data using more than 6,500 Verizon LTE Cat-1 devices located in landfills spread across the U.S. These low-power cellular IoT devices continuously transmit data from wellheads to LoCI's cloud, so that landfill operators can monitor gas quality, flow and safety conditions in near real time.
LoCI uses Verizon's ThingSpace platform to manage this growing fleet of IoT devices at scale. Using the platform, LoCI can streamline device management across multiple generations of hardware and SIM technologies, remotely activate or deactivate devices, adapt data plans as projects scale and maintain seamless service through evolving connectivity standards. In addition, ThingSpace enables the continuous flow of landfill data, allowing LoCI’s platform to monitor methane levels, track changing conditions, and take action.
"ThingSpace has been really good for helping us know where all our devices are, what they are doing, and how often they are communicating. Being able to check the status in near real time allows us to get the information we need," said Sims.
LoCI also relies on Verizon's cellular network to ensure comprehensive coverage across the United States, no matter how remote the landfill might be.
"Verizon connectivity has been a critical tool in our development," said Casey Campbell, Design Engineer at LoCI Controls. "As we expanded from small pilots to larger sites in remote areas, we needed visibility into what was happening in near real time. Verizon's coverage across the United States gave us that connection, and it's been a really good building block for everything we've done."
By maximizing methane capture, LoCI helps landfills generate significant revenue by converting captured gas into renewable natural gas and electricity. With its IoT devices and Verizon's connectivity, LoCI enables landfill operators to monitor and respond to conditions at their site continuously. Dashboards accessible by phone, tablet or desktop let operators monitor every well in near real time, while automated controls adjust settings throughout the day instead of once a month. LoCI can also send SMS notifications directly to operators, giving them the ability to react instantly, even off-hours.
"There have been many very real cases where operators will get a text alert in the middle of the night and can remotely make a change to avoid a safety incident or a plant shutdown. And that's huge for them," said Campbell.
By controlling the system with LoCI, we can actually stabilize gas composition in sites that may have seen swings of 5-10%. That stability lets one renewable natural gas plant increase its renewable natural gas production efficiency by 12%.
Nicole Neff, Chief Revenue Officer, LoCI Controls
LoCI helps landfills reduce annual emissions by 450,000 metric tons of CO2e
By combining LoCI's automated gas collection technology with Verizon's IoT connectivity, landfills are achieving measurable sustainability gains, stronger financial outcomes, and safer work environments.
To date, LoCI's system has helped reduce landfill emissions by 450,000 metric tons of CO₂e annually, producing the same impact as removing nearly 100,000 cars from the road. And according to a recent third-party report, LoCI's systems have the potential to reduce U.S. emissions by 22.3 million metric tons annually, just by increasing gas recovery by 15%.
In addition to creating cleaner air for its surrounding communities, LoCI's technology creates a significant new revenue stream for landfill operators, many of whom operate on tight margins and with limited opportunities to scale. By capturing and selling that estimated 15% of recovered methane, the landfill industry could generate an additional $1.8 billion in renewable energy sales annually.
"Gas quality fluctuates if valves are left in a stable position. By controlling the system with LoCI, we can actually stabilize gas composition in sites that may have seen swings of 5-10% Nitrogen. For example, that gas stability lets one renewable natural gas plant increase production by 12%," said Neff.
With reliable connectivity and data-driven insights, LoCI also helps landfills improve worker safety by automating wellhead adjustments and reducing the number of visits required to hazardous, muddy and equipment-filled sites. By leveraging data, automation, and connectivity, LoCI is demonstrating that landfills can be transformed from environmental liabilities into drivers of renewable energy and new revenue streams.
"Verizon's technology has really allowed us to be the eyes and ears on landfills all across America. With that visibility in all of those places, we can help operators make better decisions and capture more value," said Sims.
Verizon connectivity has been a critical tool in our development as we expanded from small pilots to larger sites in remote areas. We needed visibility into what was happening in near real time.
Casey Campbell, Design Engineer, LoCI Controls
Learn more
IoT management platform
See how ThingSpace gives organizations of all sizes all the tools to build IoT solutions or use end-to-end solutions to solve business problems.
Customer success story
Hear how Vay Technologies partners with the City of Las Vegas to bring innovative transportation solutions to residents and tourists.