Blue Earth County has been awarded a matching grant to study whether or not the methane gas generated by waste at the Ponderosa Landfill is a viable energy source.

The terms of the grant, negotiated earlier this month, have the county and the state each paying $18,213 for a study expected to conclude next June.

It’s not clear how much energy would be captured by burning methane, which is produced by the decomposition of trash. But the practice is becoming more common, especially at larger landfills.

Some methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is already captured at Ponderosa, but it’s burned off in a flare.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are 445 landfill gas-to-energy projects operational in the United States. Together, they generate about 11 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The EPA estimates about 535 more landfills could have such energy-producing projects.

To stimulate methane production, the landfill may change how it deals with leachate, the toxic rainwater that percolates through the garbage. Now, it’s sprayed on a nearby alfalfa field, but the garbage will decompose faster and yield more methane if the leachate is spread over it.

Key to the study will be the market value of both the electricity generated and the greenhouse gas offset as traded in mechanisms such as the Chicago Climate Exchange.

The County Board approved the grant application earlier this year.