In March of this year, we ran a little story entitled “Turning Onion Juice Into a
Power House” which detailed California-based Gills Onions’ installation of an anaerobic
digester capable of turning onion waste into digester gas that could, in turn,
be burned as energy for onsite power generation. Online since December 2008,
Gills Onions’ system is a perfect example of how distributed energy and onsite
power can be used to cut costs and improve efficiency.
Some
highlights:
* Anaerobic
digester specifically for onion juice
*
Leftover press
cakes, a product of squeezing out the juice, are shipped to Bakersfield, CA, for
cattle feed.
*
Two 300-kW-unit
fuel cells designed to run on methane
*
A
six-year payback on the $9-million project, thanks in part to a $2.7-million
check from California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program, and $3,000 per
kilowatt federal tax credits
The Gills
Onion story is now making national headlines. Whether it’s a quick blurb in
Reuters, a short article in a couple of local papers, or a spotlight on
local (KTLA) and national television news networks (CBS), everyone seems to
agree that the Gills are pioneers when it comes to turning onion waste
into energy. All the attention is great news for Gills Onions and for proponents
of common sense energy-efficient solutions. We ran one of the first articles on
Gills Onions, and I encourage you to follow the link above to read a great story
of how one company followed through on its goal of reducing waste and increasing
efficiency through the use of onsite power.