July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Could we lead in alternative energy? (05/04/07)
Editorial
Sometimes, changes in the landscape can sneak up on you.
Consider this exercise.
What if you could easily identify every location in America where methane produced by a sanitary landfill was being used to generate electricity? Our guess is you would come up with a pretty short list. Yet that's exactly what's happening at Waste Management's Jay County Landfill.
Then take that same list and identify which communities generating electricity at their landfills also have ethanol plants.
Our guess is the list would become much shorter, even with the boom in ethanol plant construction in the past year.
Now take that short list and identify which communities with ethanol plants and electricity generating plants at their landfills also have wind farms.
Our guess is the list is now very short indeed.
In fact, within the next year, when Poet Biorefining's Portland plant is up and running and a planned wind farm in southern Jay County takes shape, this community may be the only one of its type in America.
In other words, the landscape has changed dramatically. Out of nowhere, Jay County suddenly finds itself at the forefront of alternative energy development.
So what should we do about it?
Build upon it.
The time has come for county government, city governments, and local economic development officials to pursue new initiatives that will build upon the unique opportunities presented by this unforeseen chain of events.
Specifically - with both Waste Management and Poet Biorefining already identified by the federal government as potential leaders in the next generation of alternative energy development - it's time to start thinking creatively about public-private partnerships.
For instance, with the county's abundance of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), it could prove feasible to install liquid manure digesters at either the Poet site or the landfill, capture the methane, and generate electricity.
Such digesters, already in use at area wastewater treatment plants, are self-contained and don't give off an odor. There would be complex problems in terms of hauling manure from CAFOs to a digester, but they're problems which should be solvable.
A crazy idea? Maybe. But it would go a long way toward reducing the amount of field applied manure and would ease environmental concerns about possible groundwater contamination over time.
That's just one idea. Our guess is there are dozens of others waiting to be developed.
The important thing is for local government and economic development officials to be as proactive as possible, working with both Waste Management and Poet to identify grant funds, using EDIT revenues creatively, and calling upon resources of the state's research universities.
With bold leadership, Jay County has the potential to become an ideal location for alternative energy research and development in the 21st century.
And that's a landscape holding real promise for tomorrow. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
Consider this exercise.
What if you could easily identify every location in America where methane produced by a sanitary landfill was being used to generate electricity? Our guess is you would come up with a pretty short list. Yet that's exactly what's happening at Waste Management's Jay County Landfill.
Then take that same list and identify which communities generating electricity at their landfills also have ethanol plants.
Our guess is the list would become much shorter, even with the boom in ethanol plant construction in the past year.
Now take that short list and identify which communities with ethanol plants and electricity generating plants at their landfills also have wind farms.
Our guess is the list is now very short indeed.
In fact, within the next year, when Poet Biorefining's Portland plant is up and running and a planned wind farm in southern Jay County takes shape, this community may be the only one of its type in America.
In other words, the landscape has changed dramatically. Out of nowhere, Jay County suddenly finds itself at the forefront of alternative energy development.
So what should we do about it?
Build upon it.
The time has come for county government, city governments, and local economic development officials to pursue new initiatives that will build upon the unique opportunities presented by this unforeseen chain of events.
Specifically - with both Waste Management and Poet Biorefining already identified by the federal government as potential leaders in the next generation of alternative energy development - it's time to start thinking creatively about public-private partnerships.
For instance, with the county's abundance of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), it could prove feasible to install liquid manure digesters at either the Poet site or the landfill, capture the methane, and generate electricity.
Such digesters, already in use at area wastewater treatment plants, are self-contained and don't give off an odor. There would be complex problems in terms of hauling manure from CAFOs to a digester, but they're problems which should be solvable.
A crazy idea? Maybe. But it would go a long way toward reducing the amount of field applied manure and would ease environmental concerns about possible groundwater contamination over time.
That's just one idea. Our guess is there are dozens of others waiting to be developed.
The important thing is for local government and economic development officials to be as proactive as possible, working with both Waste Management and Poet to identify grant funds, using EDIT revenues creatively, and calling upon resources of the state's research universities.
With bold leadership, Jay County has the potential to become an ideal location for alternative energy research and development in the 21st century.
And that's a landscape holding real promise for tomorrow. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD