Community Scale Digester with Advanced Interconnection to the Electrical Grid

Demonstrating an innovative anaerobic digestion system using high-rate biodigester technology.

Organic Energy Solutions, LLC

Recipient

San Bernardino, CA

Recipient Location

23rd

Senate District

45th

Assembly District

beenhere

$4,618,517

Amount Spent

closed

Completed

Project Status

Project Result

By the end of the extended term (March 2020),
the project team successfully installed, and is now operating, the innovative anaerobic
digester system incorporating CleanWorld's high-rate biodigester technology to
process organic wastes from a local waste hauler and high-strength slurry. The project
demonstrated the capability to produce at least 8,760 MWh of renewable
electricity to be sold to Southern California Edison under the SB 1122 Bioenergy Feed-in Tariff. It also
demonstrated the concept of load-following power output without excessive
on-site storage.

The Issue

Digester systems have the potential to play an important role in providing renewable electricity while reducing California's greenhouse gas emissions. Despite a regulatory environment encouraging renewable energy production and greenhouse gas reductions, there is a need for technology to lower the system cost as traditional methods require high capital costs to remove organic materials from the wastewater stream to create good quality slurry for an anaerobic digester system.

Project Innovation

The project installed and operated an innovative anaerobic digestion system using a high-rate biodigester technology that will process approximately 50 tons per day (TPD) of organic waste from a large supermarket distribution center and 50 TPD (20,000 gallons) of high-strength slurry created by recovering and concentrating organics in wastewater streams. This project is co-located with the Co-West Commodities Wastewater Pre-Treatment Facility - an operation that collects wastewater (carbs, sugar, protein, and fat, grease, and oil) from industrial businesses and pre-treats the material for disposal into the local sewer system.

Project Benefits

The project demonstrated the use of electrical generation powered by digester gas to provide reliable power to a critical facility during outages on the grid. The electricity from this project will be exported to the SoCal Edison distribution grid through a SB 1122 Bioenergy Feed-in Tariff. The system will also be equipped with islanding capability to support the critical facility during an interruption in the grid.

Lower Costs

Affordability

The method developed by this project would lower the system cost, resulting in a significantly lower price of electricity compared to traditional or fossil generation. The estimated LCOE is $122/MWh.

Economic Development

Economic Development

The co-products are 1,226 tons of residual solids for vermicomposting feedstock per year and 1.6M gallons per year of liquid effluent for fertilizer.

Environmental & Public Health

Environmental Sustainability

The project will divert and use food wastes to generate electricity that will yield reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, with a net offset of 4,125 MT CO2e/year. It will also improve environmental quality by providing clean energy while improving wastewater quality and reducing odor via anaerobic digestion.

Greater Reliability

Reliability

This project will provide reliable renewable electricity without the need for standby and backup power and capable of providing power during peak energy demand.

Subrecipients

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Clean World Partners, LLC

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Stantec Consulting Services Inc.

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Best, Best & Krieger

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York Engineering, LLC

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RS2 Energy

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Gary M. Lee, dba Lee & Company

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Foley and Lardner, LLP

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Pettit

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Cristopher Francis Architecture

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Baker Tilly Virchow Kraus, LLP

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Babcock Laboratories, Inc.

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David Shutte

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Peterson Consultation Services

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MPI Process Inc.

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Stellar J Corporation

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Match Partners

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Clean World Partners, LLC

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Organic Energy Solutions

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Contact the Team

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