Ameren announces renewable energy partnership
Sunday, August 23, 2015
- Ameren Missouri announced a three-way partnership with ECAP, LLC and Enginuity in an effort to provide an additional source of energy for Missouri using corn and other agricultural biomass.
ECAP is an organization comprised of more than 500 Missouri farmers, which provides the resource material to make producing the renewable energy possible. ECAP provides corn for the Missouri-based Laddonia Ethanol plant, which uses the material to make ethanol for fueling cars. Now the organization is moving to provide the same type of raw biomass, which includes stalks, shucks and infected corn, to make a coal-like fuel to provide energy in Missouri, said Warren Wood, vice president of External Affairs for Ameren Missouri.
Ameren uses wind farms in Iowa and other out-of-state fuel to provide power generation in Missouri, but turning to the biomass fuel would reduce Missouri’s reliance on fuels produced outside the state, according to a press release.
“It’s a great way to develop the economy in Missouri and keep Missouri dollars here,” Wood said.
Enginuity will provide the technology required to turn the biomass into the coal-like fuel, which is a process that turns raw seed stalk into the renewable energy in three minutes using friction and compression, Enginuity CEO Nancy Hyman said.
During the process, the fuel created from the biomass is blended with coal before boiling, which reduces emission and greenhouse gas generation, Hyman said. Using the blended fuel reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the environment because the biomass fuel is carbon negative.
Blending the new fuel with coal also keeps the process relatively inexpensive because coal is a cheap source of fuel and stretches the biomass material.
“The goal is to diversify our fuel portfolios by blending the biomass with coal to reduce green house gas emissions,” Hyman said.
Small scale tests have already taken place, but a large-scale burn hasn’t yet been scheduled, Wood said. However, the fuel has reacted favorably and better than other biomass fuels created by other companies, he added.
“If it continues to appear favorable and comes at a competitive price point and doesn’t cause rates to go up in a significant way, then we can see this as an opportunity for a Missouri-based sustainable fuel that would meet our interest to provide cleaner fuel to customers and provide revenue stream to rural and agricultural communities in Missouri,” Wood said.
To make sure the fuel burned effectively, Enginuity and Ameren had to observe how the fuel burned when it was mixed with coal and if it created enough energy in relation to the amount of ash it produced during the burn. Enginuity worked for more than three years to produce the fuel by chemically and physically changing the biomass so it burned similarly to coal.
“When the problem presents itself, usually the solution makes itself evident as well,” Hyman said.
As the partnership grows Wood and Hyman believe the process would expand the utility industry and provide a significant trade business opportunity for Missouri while also expanding Missouri’s job market. Although a permanent plant site for the process hasn’t been selected, the partners believe future facilities would develop approximately 180 jobs and create a $40 million annual impact on the rural economy, according to the release.
Enginuity has already taken its process to international ventures in parts of Europe and Asia, Hyman said. She expects their process, which is the first of its kind in the U.S., will expand the biomass industry.
“It represents major utilities adopting biomass for renewable energy,” Hyman said. “We’re happy to be the bridge technology to enable us to move forward.”
More like this story
Ameren announces renewable energy partnership | News Tribune
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