Macadamia Shells to Fuel Power Station

Yahoo! News ^ | Thu May 22, 9:19 AM ET | Reuters

[yonif]

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - A new renewable energy source has emerged in Australia with the development of the world's first power station to be fueled by waste macadamia-nut shells.

Construction began this week on the A$3 million ($2 million) power plant in the northern state of Queensland, which will use 5,000 tonnes of shells annually from Australia's native macadamia nuts as fuel for the 1.5 megawatt generator.

The biomass co-generation plant, which is a joint venture between Queensland state-owned Ergon Energy and macadamia nut producer Suncoast Gold Macadamias, will generate 9.5 gigawatt hours of electricity annually to supply more than 1,200 homes.

Ergon Energy's retail general manager, Kate Skilleter, said the macadamia power plant was expected to be operating by August and would reduce greenhouse gases by around 9,500 tonnes a year -- the equivalent of taking more than 2,000 cars off the roads.

"This project...could be replicated across a range of other industries, including peanut, timber, meat, wheat and grain processing, where waste streams could generate heat, electricity and revenue," Skilleter said.

The joint venture said it aimed to double the power plant's output by 2005, when the shell waste from Suncoast Gold Macadamias was expected to have increased to 10,000 tonnes.

Suncoast Gold Macadamias plans to use 1.4 gigawatt hours annually while the rest will be exported and traded in the national electricity market.

[Michael.SF.]

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - A new renewable energy source has emerged in Australia with the development of the world's first power station to be fueled by waste macadamia-nut shells.

There is a power plant near Stockton (or Modesto?) California, not sure the size of it, but the fuel source is almond shells. I visited there back in '93. The idea of using nut shells, is not new.

Walnut shells, which probably represents the largest shell 'waste' product are commonly used as a stuffing for stuffed animals and thus are not normally used for energy.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Ergon Energy's retail general manager, Kate Skilleter, said the macadamia power plant was expected to be operating by August and would reduce greenhouse gases by around 9,500 tonnes a year -- the equivalent of taking more than 2,000 cars off the roads.

Now how do they support that claim?

[Tokhtamish]

Check this http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/913147/posts link to a fascinating plant being used to render turkey processing waste into oil.

Follow it to the original story on Discover.com. This process can revolutionize everything. Imagine houses using garbage to meet a significant portion of their energy bills. Imagine totally replacing imported oil with converted coal. The First World has multiple Persian Gulfs in the coal fields of Appalachia, Wales, the Midlands, the Vosges that it can't use because it burns dirty. Imagine something that could revolutionize the North as radically as air conditioning did the South. This country has tons of empty space and Great Plains communities that are dying because the economics of the family farm just plain aren't working out anymore. Imagine energy self-sufficient agricultural communities in the Dakotas under powered heated domes.

Getting technology like this working would enrich ourselves, impoverish our enemies, and trigger a productivity/real income growth boom more like the 50's and 60's, not the credit card binge/stock market-real estate speculation 'booms' of the 80's and 90's.

[steve8714]

why is this news? ADM and Staley have been doing this in central Illinois for years

[Michael.SF.]

The First World has multiple Persian Gulfs in the coal fields of Appalachia, Wales, the Midlands, the Vosges that it can't use because it burns dirty.

Not to forget the huge coal fields of the 'four-corners' states, including the fields that Clinton put off limits when he created the national monument in Utah (Escalante?)

Also, regarding 'burns-diry,' with today's technology, includng desulferization and emisions controls, coal burning is not nearly as 'dirty' as it's reputation would leave some to believe.

If you never saw the movie "The Formula" you might want to check it out. It is an interesting take on the Coal-to-oil technolgy that Germany used during WWII, when much of their war effort was powered by diesel derived from coal. It is also worth watching for Marlon Brando's performance of an eccentric Oil Company President (or CEO).

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[biblewonk]

They need to build some windmills.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

A $20 million facility at ConAgra's Butterball turkey plant in Carthage, Mo., is undergoing testing and expected to start using the technique by the end of May, said Terry Adams, chief technology officer for Changing World Technologies.

My Mothers home town! Hope it works well!