ANOTHER PITCH FOR TURKEY POOP

Much better than this NY Times piece is the astute Robert Rapier’s piece. See Anything into Oil

But Robert may have to give in when the Saudis run dry and the only places left to get oil are Nigeria and Iraq.

From Turkey Waste, a New Fuel and a New Fight
Susan Saulny, June 6, 2007 (NY Times)

WHO
David Morris, vice president, Institute for Local Self-Reliance; Greg Langmo, turkey farmer/plant field manager; Fibrowatt, Rupert J. Fraser, CEO; J. Drake Hamilton, science policy director, Fresh Energy
turkey poop (from the NY Times)
WHAT
A Fibrowatt plant using turkey waste matter as a base stock to produce electricity is controversial.

WHEN
Operations began in mid-May.

WHERE
- Benson, Minnesota (pop. 3376), 3 hrs west of Minneapolis.
- Fibrowatt is based in Philadelphia

WHY
- The test-case power plant, built by Fibrowatt, cost $200 million. It processes enormous amounts of turkey manure (mixed with farm-animal bedding like sunflower hulls, wood chips and alfalfa stems) in the US state that has the most turkey farms (and plenty of their poop).
- Turkey manure makes an excellent organic fertilizer while burning it to produce electricity is inefficient, expensive and, though it reduces dependence on imported oil, produces a lot of pollution (particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrogen sulfide).
- 500,000 tons of turkey waste (sold by farmers at $3-7/ton) produce electricity for a few rural counties for a year. The plant boiler produces high-pressure steam driving a 55-megawatt generator. Negative air pressure controls odors.
- Initially the electricity generated was twice as expensive as fossil fuels. Because oil prices have gone up, the turkey waste power is 30% more expensive.
Minnesota (click to enlarge)
QUOTES
- Morris: “As a matter of public policy, it stinks. The problem is that it’s using a resource in an inefficient way, and required huge subsidies to create a more inferior product than what was already being sold on the market.”
- Langmo: “This is the only advancement in manure utilization since the manure spreader — that’s 100-year-old technology…”
- Fraser: “We are completely puzzled by why people would make such a major effort to denigrate what we’re doing…We’re seeking to provide an environmentally sustainable service to the industry which produces renewable energy…We’re not claiming to be the only solution, but we think we are environmentally responsible and are doing everything to the highest possible standard.”
- Minnesota permit: “All projected impacts were well below Minnesota’s health risk values…”
- Hamilton: “We shouldn’t just assume that because something is called an energy source, it’s a good one…You have to evaluate: where did this waste product come from? You have to look at the whole life cycle, how the plants were grown, what the turkey was fed. You want to be careful about what you’re putting into the air and water.”
- Fraser: “Some people call it a subsidy — that’s fine…[it is] an incentive for change…Any way you look at it you’re not going to get a shift from fossil-fuel energy to renewable energy without an equivalent change in the financial structure of energy policy.”
- Langmo: “Is it green enough? I’m in no position to judge that…It just feels right. And I think the vast majority of Americans would look and say, ‘I think it makes sense.” ”