From a press release but interesting as farmers enter the power plant business.
By using renewable biogas generated by digesting onion peels and other fresh produce waste, Gills Onions will reduce fuel and waste disposal costs resulting in significant annual savings.
Currently the company disposes of its solid onion waste in composting fields–an expensive use the company’s valuable land. Other onion refuse historically has been disposed as sewage and required Gills Onions to pay for the volume of its total dissolvable solids.
“Gills Onions and FuelCell Energy are providing a truly innovative solution for the fresh-cut industry’s waste disposal headache,” said Steven Gill, Partner, Gills Onions.
“Since pioneering the fresh-cut industry with our ready-to-eat onions, vegetables and salads, we have been looking for alternatives to composting our waste.
Years of research and then connecting with FuelCell Energy have provided a breakthrough where the raw vegetable waste can be converted into electricity, thereby reducing greenhouse emissions, eliminating costly offsite waste disposal, reducing our energy needs, and making a new model for sustaining California agriculture.
‘Waste not, want not’ sums up the conservation and farming philosophy of the Gill family.”
The Energy Policy Act provides up to $1000 for each kilowatt for the purchase of fuel cell power plants.
It seems this power plant is free!