Homegrown Energy
February 22, 2010
Greg A. Thompson
As world leaders descended upon Copenhagen this past December for energy talks, here in America the EPA signaled that the time for talking was over. In their December 2009 endangerment finding, they determined that there is now compelling scientific evidence indicating that greenhouse gas emissions threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations. So, as the legislative debate over cap and trade rages on, the EPA has stepped in and given Congress a clear sign: if new legislation is not forthcoming regarding greenhouse gases, then make way for new EPA regulation. Whatever these new limits on greenhouse gases or the legislative or regulatory authority controlling them, this regulation will have a major impact on the cost of energy for both industry and consumers; however, this also opens the door for innovation and an emerging green power industry.
South Carolina is rich in the commodities that are required to produce green energy, among these being biomass. Our company, BioEnergy Technologies, has been formed to develop sustainable green power plants using anaerobic digestion technology. We use agricultural and other wastes to create biogas as fuel to produce electricity or to power vehicles. Our feedstocks consist of processing plant wastes, energy crops, manures, and farm wastes – fuels that are in abundant supply here in South Carolina. Our technology partner, Austrian-based AAT Biogas, is a leader in anaerobic digestion. This company’s engineers have over 25 years of experience and 120 biogas plants in operation in such countries as Germany, Austria, and Slovenia.
South Carolina is poised to reap the rewards of a green power revolution and can lead the nation in developing an industry that can provide new jobs and clean, green energy. John Clark, the Director of the SC Energy Office recently told the attendees at an energy forum in Clemson that the tidal wave for green power is coming.
We too believe the tidal wave for green energy is coming, and through our BioEnergy Technologies development efforts, we have learned of many reasons why this revolution makes good sense for South Carolina. These include:
1. Jobs – The jobs created by the green power industry cannot be sent offshore. As the green power industry grows, so will the jobs, whether in facility management, R&D or agriculture and forestry.
2. Natural Resources – South Carolina does not produce raw energy materials. We are not a coal producer, nor do we have oil or uranium (although the potential exists for solar and wind as well as natural gas off shore). We currently import all of our energy from out of state. The raw materials for biomass energy are either grown or produced in our state, thus decreasing our dependency on others for our energy. This is particularly important as an economic development tool.
3. Homegrown Energy – Agribusiness will grow with biomass energy. There exists great potential for SC farmers to lead the way with energy crops, such as switchgrass, sorghum and others. These crops are produced specifically for energy and do not compete with crops that are produced for human consumption. This creates new revenue streams for our farmers.
4. Closes the Loop – Anaerobic digestion helps to close the loop on the nutrient cycle (click to visual). The end product of the anaerobic digestion cycle is a rich digestate, or organic soil amendment, that goes back into the earth.
5. It is the right thing to do – Although BioEnergy Technologies was formed as a business opportunity, equally important to us is the belief that our state and country need to diversify our energy portfolio for many reasons – health and security chief among them. So, now is our window of opportunity South Carolina, to make our mark, as we harness our state’s natural resources and become pioneers, leading not just our nation, but the world in this emerging market.
Greg A. Thompson is president and CEO of BioEnergy Technologies LLC (www.bioenergyglobal.com), a full-service renewable biomass energy provider. He is also president and CEO of Thompson Construction Group, Inc., and chairman and CEO of Thompson Industrial Services LLC, headquartered in Sumter, South Carolina. Thompson’s customers include major electrical utilities, pharmaceutical, steel and other Fortune 500 companies throughout the southeastern United States. (www.thompsonind.com)
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