Demonstration of an Innovative, Community-Scale, Organic Waste-to-Energy Facility
An innovative, state-of-the art anaerobic digester facility to convert urban food and green waste to renewable electricity and compost
HZIU Kompogas SLO Inc.
Recipient
Norcross, GA
Recipient Location
$4,000,000
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
The project successfully completed the construction and demonstration of the state-of-the-art anaerobic digester facility in San Luis Obispo. The facility currently converts 700 tons of green waste and food waste per week into 465 kWh of renewable electricity on average. The BioMAT PPA agreement was executed in July 2019 and facility has since been selling power to PG&E at a price 12.7 cents per kWh. In addition, the facility produces compost and has been selling it to wineries.
The Issue
Newly adopted state goals have called for increased production of renewable energy, increased waste diversion from landfills, and a reduction of short-lived climate pollutant emissions. Increased deployment of anaerobic digester systems can help meet all of these goals by producing renewable energy, diverting organic waste from landfills, and reducing associated short-lived climate pollutant emissions. However, anaerobic digester systems tend to be logistically complicated, technologically complex, and prohibitively expensive. There is therefore a need to demonstrate and deploy cost-effective anaerobic digester systems in local communities.
Project Innovation
The goal of the project was to construct and demonstrate operation of an innovative, state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion facility for converting organic waste into renewable electricity in San Luis Obispo County. The facility is the first of its kind in dry digester technology to be installed in the United States and is expected to process about 36,500 tons of food waste and urban waste into 6.2 million kWh per year of renewable electricity, 13,000 tons of compost, and 1.6 million gallons of liquid fertilizer leading to a host of benefits for the environment (e.g., reduction of 5,300 MT CO2e per year), economy, grid reliability, and safety. [br /]
Project Benefits
This project will benefit California ratepayers by demonstrating an innovative, state-of-the-art anaerobic digester facility. Once economical operation is proven, similar facilities can be replicated across California to provide similar benefits to other local communities.
Affordability
This project will demonstrated a cost-effective approach converting food wastes and other urban organic wastes into renewable electricity, allowing utilities to meet their bioenergy mandates while also lowering the cost of bioenergy for electric ratepayers.
Environmental Sustainability
Diversion of organic waste from landfills will result in avoided methane and nitrous emissions, both powerful short-lived climate pollutants. The project demonstrated the diversion and conversion of organic wastes, which will result in estimated net annual emission reductions of approximately 5,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Reliability
This project demonstrated capacity to generate approximately 6.2 million kWh of distributed renewable electricity annually, improving local system reliability and reducing the stress on the grid.
Key Project Members
William Skinner
Subrecipients
The Grant Farm, Inc
Hitachi Zosen Inova U.S.A. LLC
Match Partners
HZIU Kompogas SLO Inc.
