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MMPA producing power from food processing, agricultural waste Page 1 of 2 Public Power Daily Friday,February 7,2014 MMPA producing power from food processing, agricultural waste The Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA) is generating power from food processing and agricultural waste. The agency's 8-MW bioenergy facility is one of the largest of its kind in the country to employ an anaerobic digestion process, the joint action agency said. The "Hometown BioEnergy" facility is located in Le Sueur, Minn., original home of the Green Giant Co., and one of 12 municipal utility members of MMPA. The concept and design vision for the facility were developed by Avant Energy, a Minneapolis-based energy management company and long-time partner with MMPA. Avant also managed regulatory approvals and construction.The plant uses biogas technology developed by Xergi A/S, a Danish company. It began operating in December after a one-year construction cycle. "We're generating valuable, renewable and dispatchable on-peak electricity with this process," said Kelsey Dillon, vice president of biopower at Avant Energy. "At optimal times when the power is needed and its value is highest, we draw off the biogas from storage to fuel the generators," she said, pointing out that this ability to time power production is a significant advantage compared to intermittent renewables such as solar and wind. The digestion process results in two by-products—a liquid that will become a nutrient-rich fertilizer for area fanners and solid fuel that will be sold for boilers. The digestion takes place in continuously stirred reactors over 30 to 45 days. Heat from the generators dries the solid fuel by-product. The project's infrastructure includes: • Two 1.6 million-gallon capacity anaerobic digestion tanks. • Gas cleaners to remove hydrogen sulfide from biogas prior to electric generation. • Gas storage. • Four 2-MW Cummins generators. • Indoor feedstock receiving and storage area. • Biofilter technology to treat process air. • Lined storage ponds designed to hold a year of liquid fertilizer production. Feedstock for the plant varies, depending on season and availability, including vegetable processing residuals from plants in the area, silage, manure and other food processing byproducts. Avant is working with area businesses and communities to identify waste that can be converted to energy. Electrical output from the plant will become part of the renewable generation profile of all 12 of its members, MMPA said. Minnesota's renewable energy requirements call for at least 25 percent of power to be generated through renewable means by 2025. MMPA also operates a 44-MW wind farm in southern Minnesota, which began operating in 2011. "Homeowners and businesses who rely on our member municipal utilities will benefit from our mix of cost-effective and local renewable energy generation sources," said MMPA board Chairman Steve Schmidt, a member of the Anoka, Minn., City Council. http://www.naylometwork.com/app-ppd/articles/prl6-V2.asp?aid=252496 2/10/2014