Willie must be happy

John Porretto, AP:

Using the slimy, light-colored tallow as the source for clean-burning biodiesel, Biofuels Power Corp. flipped the switch on three, 2,000-horsepower diesel engines a couple of weeks ago, adding a bit more energy to the massive grid that powers much of the Lone Star State.

Privately held Biofuels Power and others in the renewable energy business say the plant is the first of its kind to produce power for sale on the open market using only biodiesel, a petroleum-free alternative fuel made from plant oils like cotton seed and animal fat — in this case, chicken fat.

For now, Biofuels Power's contribution to Texas' energy supply is a mere blip. Its new plant in [The Woodlands] has the capacity to generate 5 megawatts of power. Crimmins said that translates into roughly enough juice to power 3,500 homes, though the number can vary widely depending on the size of the home and the time of day and year.

But the plant doesn't run around the clock; the idea is to create power for times of the day when demand is greatest — and prices are highest. Like other power generators, Biofuels Power uses a registered agent to sell the power on the open market. The price of a kilowatt of electricity can sell for as little 2 cents when demand is low to 65 cents or more at peak times.

Neat; they plan another plant in Texas soon. I wonder how much of their profit is government subsidy. Some friends of mine are grad students working on extracting more diesel out of fats. I think I'll send this to them and see if they have any pithy comments. Anyway, I excerpted quite heavily. Read the whole thing.

Posted by Evan @ 03/20/07 06:14 PM

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