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Sand Valley Power Station

Waste power plant in Alabama, United States of America. Approximate location 34.3439, -85.8661.

WasteAlabamaUnited States of America

Sand Valley Power Station is a 5 MW waste power plant in Alabama, United States of America. It is operated by EDL Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 28 GWh, it can supply roughly 8.0k homes. It ranks #7307 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

5Source-backed capacity
28GWh reported / yr
7,971homes powered
2013commissioned (~13 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0059710.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySand Valley Power Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Alabama WRI
Coordinates34.3439, -85.8661 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity5 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEDL Inc WRI
Commissioned2013 WRI
GWh reported / yr28 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#7307 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#355 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.73× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent7,971 calculated from reported generation
Climate15.2°C · HDD 1,752 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot 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 5 MW, Sand Valley Power Station is below 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.

Reported generation trend

2014: 32 GWh20142015: 32 GWh20152016: 27 GWh20162017: 30 GWh20172018: 25 GWh20182019: 28 GWh201932 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by EDL Inc. All plants by this company →

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 34.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.2°Cannual mean temp
1,752heating degree-days (base 18°C)
759cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
279 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 16 °CON: 10 °CND: 6 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 29% 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: 39/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
21.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
457 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 #355 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 34.3439, -85.8661 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sand Valley Power Station?

Sand Valley Power Station is a 5 MW source-record waste power plant in Alabama, United States of America, commissioned in 2013.

How much electricity does Sand Valley Power Station generate?

Sand Valley Power Station generates about 28 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Sand Valley Power Station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 7,971 homes.

Who operates Sand Valley Power Station?

Sand Valley Power Station is operated by EDL Inc.

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