Demonstrating the Potential for On-Site Electricity Generation from Food Waste Using Containerized Anaerobic Digestion Units
Demonstrating a rapidly deployable decentralized AD solution as a potentially compelling alternative to large-scale AD facilities.
Regents of the University of California, Davis
Recipient
Davis, CA
Recipient Location
3rd
Senate District
4th
Assembly District
$2,190,364
Amount Spent
Active
Project Status
Project Update
This project has purchased all equipment, including the anaerobic digestion system and a 65 kW combined heat and power system, and delivered and installed it on site in the City of Oxnard. However, the systems have not been integrated with the host facility and the team has not been able to operate pending completion of other requirements including permits and interconnection. The team has partially completed the site interconnection work, but certain elements require updating to improve site safety and comply with the code. The project team has been trying to resolve key challenges including delays in interconnection to the SCE grid and in obtaining building permits and the loss of a major subcontractor’s ability to fulfill its role including serving as waste collector and system operator. The team is exploring different options to address current challenges. Once resolved and operational, the project team can begin collecting data on energy efficiency and digestate production.
The Issue
The common model for managing food waste generally involves disposal in a landfill where the organic material releases methane gas (a greenhouse gas with more than 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide) to the atmosphere as it degrades. The conversion of food waste to electricity and heat via anaerobic digestion (AD) provides a promising alternative solution to the current model, but large-scale centralized facilities require expensive and carbon-emitting transportation of food waste over long distances from its source, and small scale decentralized AD systems have not been well-demonstrated in California.
Project Innovation
This project assesses the potential for a highly standardized and rapidly deployable decentralized AD solution as a compelling alternative to large-scale centralized AD facilities. By implementing on-site AD at locations where food waste is generated and electricity demand exists, it is possible to reduce or avoid 1) the consumption of non-renewable electricity, 2) the transmission and distribution (T&D) losses associated with the delivery of electricity across long distances on the regional grid, and 3) the transport costs (inclusive of the monetary, environmental, and public health costs) of hauling food waste long distances to feed larger AD generators.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
This project will provide greater electricity reliability and lower costs through the on-site generation and utilization of electricity produced through the AD of food waste. The project will evaluate the performance of a small-scale, on-site AD system installed at a cold-storage facility in Southern California, where the pilot unit will directly reduce the cold storage facility’s demand for electricity from the regional grid, as well as avoid the longer term marginal costs of electricity supply expansion. These benefits have the potential to increase significantly should the results of the pilot project enable increased adoption and installation of the technology across the State.
Affordability
The small-scale, on-site AD system will directly avoid the long-term costs of electricity supply expansion. The pilot unit is expected to reduce the cold storage facility's net peak demand on the SCE grid by 53 kW, saving approximately $64,800 a year, or $152/MWh. By disposing the food waste onsite and locally (within 7 miles) instead of transporting it to landfills, food waste producers can avoid a total tipping fee of $72,236.
Environmental Sustainability
This project will reduce the amount of food waste going to landfills by about 1,220 tons of municipal food waste per year locally. The technology will avoid an estimated 427.2 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. Implementing on-site AD at locations where food waste is generated and electricity demand exists would reduce the consumption of non-renewable electricity, line losses of delivering electricity, and emissions from long-hauling food waste.
Reliability
Onsite sustainable and flexible energy generation will be able to reduce the facility’s peak load and potentially minimize the impact of unexpected power outages.
Key Project Members
Subrecipients
Biodico, Inc.
Match Partners
The Regents of the University of California, on behalf of the Davis Campus
Biodico, Inc.
