6.1a. ERMUSR 11-17-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

3v bpi; ft__ 111-11111 ,rr 1 _ k i 14 tl i I e 1.Green energy.Four Cummins Power t;ener at on engine gen IA on the b;ogas to generate electricity for the IOC"ll distribution systein Courtesy Ajuot Energy Inc. Heat recovery is another important part of the process.Cooling water from the engine water jackets is the main source of reclaimed energy.The heated water is fed into an insulated storage tank and then used in the gas cleaner,feeding module,electric generation, and in-floor heating systems. HTBE also recovers energy from the engine exhaust,which is used by the post-digestion system. By utilizing the heat recovery system, HTBE believes it extracts every ounce of value possible from its process.The heat is supplied to the plant's belt dryer,thereby reducing the moisture content of the solid by- product.This makes it more valuable as a renewable solid fuel for combustion offsite in biomass and coal-fired burners. It is also safe to reuse the separated solids as a bedding material for livestock in place of more expensive sawdust and wood shavings. Although the plant's 8-MW capacity may seem small compared to the average utility power plant, it is one of the largest facilities of its kind.The plant is permitted to process up to 45,000 dry tons of waste per year. A Community Asset Developing a power plant of any type comes with challenges. For HTBE, the technology is not particularly familiar to most people in the U.S., so its first challenge was educating the community about the project. Avant wanted local residents to understand that a facility of this kind is a long-term asset. HTBE provides important benefits to the local community by collecting and processing local wastes, and creating a renewable source of electricity that flows directly into the host community's power system. The company shared project information with the public early on in the development phase. It hosted meetings with community leaders,held open houses for local residents,and offered regular construction updates. In addition,Avant placed an emphasis on hiring locally.Although the plant only has seven permanent employees, local contractors, businesses,farmers, and other area residents all contributed to construction and startup in various ways,and continue to support operational activities.The plant also uses some seasonal employees. A Rapid Timeline Minnesota winters offer a multitude of challenges,especially for construction companies. Nonetheless,the project broke ground in December 2012 with a one-year goal for completion. "The aggressive construction schedule for the plant was a significant challenge, but we worked weekends and long hours.We also had good management 161