12/22/1994

Pilot Program May Provide New Sources of Power and Empowerment for Rural Areas

AUBURN, Ala. - Alabama power plants may someday be powered by plants if U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Auburn University researchers are successful in a pilot project aimed at providing renewable power to consumers while also empowering rural communities.

The program will explore ways to use plant material (biomass) instead of fossil fuels to generate electricity. If the idea works, the result could be a cleaner, more sustainable source of electricity, new options for agriculture and more jobs in rural areas.

According to Bud Annan, director of the DOE's Office of Solar Energy, the DOE and other federal agencies are dedicated to finding sustainable and environmentally safer ways to generate electric power. His office announced the program in December and is soliciting proposals for federally cost-shared collaborative efforts to develop biomass-based renewable energy.

David Bransby, professor of agronomy and soils at Auburn, explained that renewable, sustainable energy sources are a priority for DOE for several reasons. Concerns about the environmental hazards of current generation techniques, depletion of current sources of fossil fuel and dependency on foreign sources of fossil fuel are among those reasons. But federal officials also want to dovetail this effort with ways to benefit rural America, where economic problems have taken a great toll.

"The DOE feels that there are quite a few technological options that may be commercially feasible, or very close to it," explained Bransby, who conducts research in the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES). "The only way to find out for sure is to go to the pilot project scale."

This effort is based on a mix of old and new technology and information. In an AAES project, Bransby has been evaluating the plausibility of using switchgrass as a biomass source for ethanol and electric energy. He explained that biomass can be used in a process known as "gasification."

"Gasification has been used for years to turn fossil fuels (such as coal) into energy." he said. It can also be used to turn plant material into electric energy. Biomass is subjected to the gasification process just like coal, but it burns more cleanly than coal, reducing toxic emissions.

A technology called "electro-farming" is already being used. Electro-farming involves growing biomass and converting it into electricity on the farm. By producing electricity on a farm, as opposed to a centralized facility in an urban area, biomass (which is typically bulky) does not have to be transported off the farm. In addition, on-farm power plants can generate electricity for the farmer and also can be sold to others in the area.

Various forms of biomass have already proven useful in the gasification process, including wood waste from the timber and lumber industry. But Bransby believes that the best option may be prolific grasses, such as the switchgrass he has been studying.
His research has focused on growing switchgrass, a native and prolific perennial grass species, in the Southeast as a new crop for Alabama farmers. Results of his studies indicate that the grass is high yielding and provides numerous environmental advantages, including less soil erosion and more wildlife habitat. This "power plant" can be used to produce electric energy and ethanol, and could also be used as a forage source for livestock.

Electric plants powered by switchgrass would be 1-1.2 megawatts in size and could be powered from 600 to 1,000 acres of switchgrass. That, said Bransby, is enough to supply power to about 1,000 homes.

So why look at this new technology? It could have multiple benefits, said Bransby, including reducing pollution and other problems associated with using coal; providing a new crop for farmers and more jobs could be created on farms and in construction and operation of energy plants; and much more.

While this sounds good in theory and has worked on a small laboratory scale, its feasibility must be tested on a larger, more commercial scale. That is the reason for DOE and USDA's interest in the pilot projects. "They feel like we need to go ahead and test this on a commercial level and find out one way or the other if it will work," said Bransby. "We need to know if it is immediately feasible and, if not, what problems have to be solved to make it feasible."

The announcement for the pilot proposals was to be released in December, and Bransby said anyone interested in making a proposal will have four months to do so. Several companies are interested in establishing a partnership with DOE to install pilot energy plants in Alabama for both electricity and ethanol production from biomass. "If these plans are fruitful, there could be a pilot plant operational by late 1996 or early 1997," said Bransby.

Bransby noted that a group, the Alabama Bio-Energy Association, has been formed in Alabama to promote the development and commercialization of bio-energy technologies. The group's goal is to realize energy, economic and environmental benefits from bio-energy.

"The group's objectives are to create awareness and establish a positive image and confidence in energy technologies among Alabamians," said Bransby. They also hope to develop support for bio-energy among legislative and government agencies; support research, development and commercialization of bio-energy technologies; assist with the development of a bio-energy business infrastructure; and assist Alabama in reaching optimum energy, economic and environmental benefits for bio-energy.

Anyone interested in learning more about this group, switchgrass production or other bio-energy issues may contact Bransby at (205) 844-3935.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
Contact Katie Jackson, 334-844-5886 or smithcl@auburn.edu

12/22/94