On Friday I spoke with CEO Glenn Farris about his company, Biomass Gas & Electric.
CleanTechnica: What does your company do?
GF: We use biomass (primarily woody biomass), but also forest residues, agricultural waste, and woody crops, to produce renewable energy in an environmentally beneficial gasification process that doesn’t involve combustion, and so is carbon neutral. BG&E currently has three contracts (Georgia Power Company, The City of Tallahassee and Progress Energy of Florida) to provide biomass-generated electricity, pipeline gas, and hydrogen. We have many, many other projects in development both in the U.S. and abroad. In states that have a Renewable Portfolio Standard, we provide tradeable renewable energy certificates. In other states, we sell renewable energy credits to large companies like IBM and Alcoa, who want to reduce their carbon footprint. We believe the future of the company is in the production of methane.
GF: Mostly they have to do with the misunderstanding of using biomass as fuel. It is considered a “nontraditional” source, despite the fact that wood is the second most widely used fuel for heat and energy. The other misconception is that biomass energy is just too expensive, even though we are selling it directly to utilities, and they are marking it up to sell to their customers!
CleanTechnica: Who are your customers?
In states with unregulated energy markets, we can sell to anyone. In regulated markets, which still represent 40% of the U.S., we can’t sell directly to the public, we can only sell wholesale. But we could build a small plant directly on the property of a large factory, for example.
CleanTechnica: How many jobs is your company generating?
GF: Our three facilities in Florida directly employ 75 workers, but the indirect employment, around the collection and transportation of materials, represents three times that many jobs, or about 250.
CleanTechnica: Do you see the role of government expanding in the future, especially in light of the current presidential race?
GF: Yes, we are very likely to see a national renewable portfolio standard and a carbon cap-and-trade system, for which we’ll be well positioned. Biomass is understood to be carbon neutral, so this will help us compete.
CleanTechnica: In what areas to does your company hope to expand?
GF: We are looking to “closed loop biomass”, which means crops grown for energy consumption, such as fast-growing woody crops, switch grass, bamboo, and some tree strains. The good thing about biomass is it can help balance other renewable energies such as sun and wind. Biomass can generate power 24/7, and so help provide base load power needs.
The technology is based on a gasification process developed by the Department of Energy’s Biomass Program. It is also being used at Vermont’s McNeil Generating Facility.
