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Lee County Solid Waste Energy

Waste power plant in Florida, United States of America. Approximate location 26.6315, -81.7607.

WasteFloridaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Lee County Solid Waste Energy is a 59 MW waste power plant in Florida, United States of America. It is operated by Lee County Board-Commissioners. Based on reported annual generation of 338 GWh, it can supply roughly 97k homes. It ranks #3514 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1998, it is around 28 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 494,830 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 115k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

59Source-backed capacity
338GWh reported / yr
96,714homes powered
494,830t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1998commissioned (~28 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0052010.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLee County Solid Waste Energy WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Florida WRI
Coordinates26.6315, -81.7607 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity59 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerLee County Board-Commissioners WRI
Commissioned1998 WRI
GWh reported / yr338 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions494,830 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3514 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#49 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers8.94× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent96,714 calculated from reported generation
Climate23.3°C · HDD 11 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 48/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 59 MW, Lee County Solid Waste Energy is well above the median waste plant in United States of America (7 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~494,830 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

115kpassenger cars driven for a year
65khomes' yearly energy use
8.2 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 321 GWh20132014: 328 GWh20142015: 329 GWh20152016: 341 GWh20162017: 315 GWh20172018: 348 GWh20182019: 338 GWh2019348 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Lee County Board-Commissioners.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 26.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

23.3°Cannual mean temp
11heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,972cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
11 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 18 °CJF: 18 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 22 °CAM: 25 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 25 °CON: 22 °CND: 19 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 100% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 13/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
48/100environmental-severity index
10.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
46 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #49 largest waste power plant of 551 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 551 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 10,154 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 26.6315, -81.7607 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lee County Solid Waste Energy?

Lee County Solid Waste Energy is a 59 MW source-record waste power plant in Florida, United States of America, commissioned in 1998.

How much electricity does Lee County Solid Waste Energy generate?

Lee County Solid Waste Energy generates about 338 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Lee County Solid Waste Energy power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 96,714 homes.

Who operates Lee County Solid Waste Energy?

Lee County Solid Waste Energy is operated by Lee County Board-Commissioners.

How much CO₂ does Lee County Solid Waste Energy emit?

Lee County Solid Waste Energy has modelled emissions of about 494,830 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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