Sustainable News from Lake County
October 2008
SLCO Welcomes its first SLCO Pioneer to Lakeview!
Because of our efforts to attract people interested in renewable energy and sustainability in relocating to Lakeview, we are proud to announce our first sucess story!
Lake District Hospital had been searching for a Surgical Nurse for over a year and a half with no positive results. After seeing the website and visiting the community, our Pioneer interviewed at the hospital and was welcomed with open arms!
Thanks to this web site we have another family from Corvallis, Oregon who visited last week and they are making plans to relocate here in the next month. They have been involved in the food service industry for many years and are looking at starting their own small business in Lakeview.
October 2008
SLCO makes application to the State of Oregon for a Feasibility Study Grant to determine the best way to proceed with development of the geothermal resource base here in Lakeview. At present the Town has a system located north of Lakieview which provides heat to the Oregon DOC Minnimum Security Prison. A second system is being proposed for the schools and hospital using funds intended for the Lake County Industrial Park. SLCO is proposing the third system for the Down Town Commercial District.
SLCO does not believe stand alone systems are in the best interest of the long term needs of the community.
We believe a study should be done to provide the community with the information necessary to properly manage the resource and provide the best geothermal heating system for all the citizens of the community.
We are proposing an outside engineering firm, WHPacific and Oregon Institute of Technology Geo-Heat Center and the Renewable Energy Resource Center work together to provide us with this information.
October 2008
SLCO makes application to Google RE<C Grant Program for funding a feasibility study for Full Cycle Energy Utilization, which is an "Intigrated Meat, feed, Fuel and Fertilizer Production Facility" using Geothermal Energy as a basis for a Agri-business industrial park in Lakeview, Oregon.
September 2008
SLCO makes application to Google RE<C Grant Program for a $750,000 loan to fund the Downtown Lakeview Geothermal Heating District Seed Money.
August 2008
SLCO Recieves word from USDA that we were not funded in this grant cycle for a District heating system.
Sustainable Lake County Oregon Applys for USDA Grant for Lakeview Business District Geothermal Heating System
June 15, 2008
John Cogar of SLCO has made application to the USDA Rural Energy Grants Program for a Geothermal District Heating System for the downtown business district. The grant was done with the help of Bob Rodgers of the OIT Renewable Energy Center. The project would serve thirteen main buildings and the swimming pool in its first phase of development including the Lake County Courthouse, the US Post Office, the Senior Citizens Center, four churchs and the new library when its built.
Other buildings to be connected in a phase two project in 2010. The initial feasibility study showed a twenty five thousand gallon savings in oil with a potential savings as high as sevendy five thousand gallons depending on who connects into the system.
Cogar projects cost of the energy to be based on 50% of the cost of heating oil once the system is paid for with further discounts for non-profits and religious organizations. The system will create four "Green Collar" jobs and will use its revenues to extend the system into residential areas as soon as possible so Lakeview could one day be "Fossil Oil Free" in its heating needs.
This has been a long time effort on Cogar's part. He first proposed a heating system to the Town Council in 1977, applied for a grant for the town in 1979 and wrote one for the US DOE in 1984. (See page 2 About Us, zone 2, lower left of page, history)
Town of Lakeview and Lake County Commissioners Support Sustainable Lake County Oregon Website
April 22, 2008
Sustainable Lake County Oregon met with the Lake County Commissioners and the Lakeview Town Council, on Earth Day to present information about the organization and its website. Jim Walls of the Lake County Resource Initiative made a presentation of his Renewable Energy Slide Show to the County Commissioners and told them he supported the efforts of John Cogar to promote Economic Development.
The County Commissioners voted to send a letter of support to Sustainable Lake County Oregon.
Later that afternoon, both men met with The Lakeview Town Council. Cogar made a presentation about this website. Jim Walls told those present of his support and the Council voted to also draft a letter of support for the efforts of Sustainable Lake County Oregon to promote economic development in Lake County based on Renewaable Energy Resources.
Support from the Oregon Renewable Energy Center
April 21, 2008
Lake County Commissioners;
I would like to add my admiration to the Sustainable Lake County, Oregon WEB site that John Cogar has developed. Through the WEB site he has translated many of the ideas Lake County Commissioners, Lake County Resources Initiative, The Lake County Chamber, Township of Lakeview, South Central Oregon EconomicDevelopment, the Lake County Renewable Energy Working Group and many others have pioneered over the past many years.
The WEB site translates the enthusiasm of Lake County as well as the available resources to support the goals of sustainability. I have often thought that the people of Lake County have never known how to live without sustainability at their core and so should be a leader. Best regards,
Bob Rogers,
P.E.Oregon Renewable Energy Center
3201 Campus DriveKlamath falls, OR.
541-885-1887
More Local News
April 16, 2008
Jim Walls, of the Lake County Resource Initiative (LCRI), informed us today of five new renewable energy projects under way in Lake County involving geothermal, solar and wind power.
Jim said two Lakeview business were applying for grant monies and tax credits through the USDA, the Energy Trust of Oregon and others for solar PV resource development. A third applicant is a local ranch working on a solar powered livestock watering project. A fourth development involves connecting an existing geothermal well into a new small district heating system for a subdivision north of Lakeview.
The fifth project consists of a local club developing a wind energy system with funding from a private foundation for their new building.
SLCO Contacted by Representive of Solar Farm Developer
April 1, 2008
Sustainable Lake County Oregon met with a representative of a Solar Farm developer looking for property in or near Lakeview to build a PV based electric generation facility. The company will do preliminary feasibility studies and go through the permitting process with construction of a southern Oregon facility, anticipated to start sometime in 2009.
Property owned by SLCO may be the best suited for the project in Lakeview. If an agreement is reached, SLCO will work with the developer to obtain permits and prepare the infrastructure necessary to expedite this new Renewable Resource Company's investment in our community.
April 3, 2008
SLCO has signed a lease option for Lake County's first Solar Farm!
3EStrategies Sustainability News
Lake County, Oregon’s Most Renewable Energy County
By James K. Walls, Lake County Resources Initiative, , January 2008
In 2002 Lake County Resources Initiative (LCRI) began a process to look at building a 15 MW biomass plant in Lakeview, OR. This effort brought a lot of attention to the potential of renewable energy as an economic development tool. In 2006 an informal group comprised of Lake County, Lake County Chamber of Commerce, The Renewable Energy Center at OIT, City of Paisley, Town of Lakeview, South Central Oregon Economic Development District and Lake County Resources formed the Lake County Renewable Energy Workgroup. The group began to assist, evaluate and facilitate opportunities around Lake County. It became clear from this effort that Lake County could be fossil fuel independent from an energy stand point within the next 5 years.
On November 1, 2007 Marubeni Sustainable Energy rolled out their plans to build a 13 MW biomass plant in conjunction with The Collins Companies ribbon cutting on a new small diameter sawmill. The work started by LCRI in 2002 has resulted in the signing of a 20-year Supply MOU between the Collins Companies, Marubeni Sustainable Energy, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, City of Paisley, Town of Lakeview, Lake County and LCRI. In addition, the Forest Service and BLM are preparing 10-year stewardship contracts for the project. At the same time this was occurring, the Lakeview Stewardship group comprised of environmental groups, local industry and local citizens signed a letter of concurrence for the 20-year Supply MOU and how the Forest Service should manage the Fremont National Forest, Lakeview Federal Stewardship Unit (495,000 acres). The results are 80 jobs being saved at the sawmill, 15 new jobs at the biomass plant and 50 jobs in the woods, and even more importantly infrastructure in place for restoring forest health and natural fire regimes.
Geothermal energy in Lake County has tremendous potential. When the Town of Lakeview contracted to build a geothermal heating facility for the newly constructed Warner Corrections facility, the Town Council made a major decision to double the capacity of the system. The Town has now received funding to look at geothermal energy production feasibility to utilize new technology for low temperature geothermal energy production that would run off that excess capacity built into the system. With the geothermal well, re-injection well and heat exchange building all in place this is looking very profitable for the Town. The Town has just finished test results south of Lakeview on another geothermal well and is investigating a heating district between the County, Hospital District, School District and Town to supply geothermal heat to the industrial park, new hospital being planned, the schools and several other government buildings. The Town also gets a portion of its water from springs 2,000 feet above Town. This amount of head makes it feasible for a small hydro energy project, which the Town plans to explore once the geothermal projects are completed.
A private ranch bordering the City of Paisley has a geothermal well that is 230 degrees, producing 1,000 gal/min. and is working with a private developer to utilize the same technology being considered in Lakeview to generate energy.
In Plush, the Grump Geyser produces 300 degree water and can utilize standard geothermal energy systems to produce energy. A private company, Nevada Geothermal, has leased this well and is leasing other lands in the Plush-Adel area for geothermal energy production. Preliminary estimates suggest a large geothermal energy facility could be underway in 2 years.
The Air Force presently manages approximately 2,600-acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in Christmas Valley, Lake County, which has been withdrawn from public domain for the purpose of operating the backscatter radar site. Backscatter operations have ceased and Air Force has initiated the process to exit the property. This will likely result in the property being restored to its original condition and returned to BLM. Due to the nature of the mission, the site has a significant electrical utility infrastructure that includes electrical transmission line capacity of 100 MW and three 10 MW substations. As with the Lakeview Biomass Project, the Governor of the State of Oregon declared this project an Oregon Solutions Project and has appointed a taskforce to explore sustainable energy projects at the site: wind, solar, and geothermal. Currently the greatest potential appears to be solar and may have potential for the world’s largest solar production system. The Oregon National Guard is interested in the site for training purposes and being able to offset all the energy they consume in the State of Oregon.
In addition to biomass, geothermal, hydro and solar there are currently a couple of test wind towers in the county. With oil going over $90/barrel, Lake County is posed to do its part to reduce this countries dependency on foreign oil and well on our way to being Oregon’s Most Renewable Energy County
Lakeview dedicates small diameter mill and biomass energy project
The Collins Companies and Marubeni Sustainable Energy host the ribbon cutting for a new small diameter sawmill and highlight the future Lakeview Biomass Energy Plant in Oregon
On November 1, 2007 The Collins Companies and Marubeni Sustainable Energy hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new small diameter sawmill and a kickoff event for the Lakeview Biomass Energy Plant in Lakeview, Oregon. The ceremony marked an important step for all involved in the pursuit of creative, collaboratively developed solutions to some of the forest health and economic issues being addressed in Lake County.
“Lake County is on a path toward leading the state of Oregon in renewable energy production. The building of a new small diameter sawmill and a biomass plant that serve as tools to restore forest health is a new way of doing business and one that will serve as a model for other communities across the country,” said Jim Walls, Executive Director of the Lake County Resources Initiative.
The newly built $6.6 million small diameter sawmill will process small logs from the 80,000 acre Forest Stewardship Council certified Collins Lakeview Forest, in addition to logs from private timber owners, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Utilizing a “single pass machine” built by Coe Newnes McGehee (CNM), Tigard, Ore., the mill will be able to process logs less than 10 inches in diameter. Many forests in the Northwest are overstocked with low-value small diameter timber due to decades of overharvest and fire suppression.
The $20-million Lakeview Biomass Plant, which is still in the planning stages, will be built at the Lakeview Sawmill. It is expected to annually produce about 13 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power over 10,000 single-family homes. The Lakeview plant will be the first new biomass facility in Oregon since 1992.
The two facilities are estimated to retain 80 jobs, according to Betty Riley, Executive Director of the South Central Oregon Economic Development District, Klamath Falls Ore. These facilities will allow for the local processing of some of the smaller woody material from public and private lands. The removal of this material will aid in forest restoration and help reduce the buildup of hazardous fuels. “This is a win-win situation. These two new facilities will allow the county to benefit economically through responsible forest stewardship,” said Riley.
After the ceremony, a 20-year Memorandum of Understanding was signed to confirm all cooperating organizations’ commitment to providing a predictable, economical and ecologically sustainable supply of biomass. Signatories included The Collins Companies, Portland; OR; Marubeni Sustainable Energy, San Diego, Calif.; Lake County Resources Initiative; Fremont-Winema National Forests; Lakeview District of the Bureau of Land Management; Oregon Department of Forestry; Lake County; Town of Lakeview and City of Paisley
Look at Sustainable Northwest Video on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L67ZzOxTH5w&eurl=http://www.sustainablenorthwest.org/LakeCoVideo
CAPITAL PRESS
May 2005 eNews Bulletin
Project Produces Energy, Aids Forests
April 29, 2005
A new project on the Fremont National Forest near Lakeview, Ore., will work to thin the forests, reduce fire risks, protect jobs, produce electricity from biomass thinning, and form a model for other collaborations that merge the needs and interests of industry, government and environmental groups.
The College of Forestry at Oregon State University will join Lake County commissioners in convening potential partners in the initiative, called the Lakeview Biomass Project.
Local leaders, working through Lake County Resources Initiative, are sponsoring the project. And last January, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski designated this work as an Oregon Solutions project, assuring participation of his staff and appropriate state agencies.
“If this project works the way we anticipate, there will be many benefits, for forest protection, private industry, local jobs, water resources, fish and wildlife,” said Hal Salwasser, dean of the College of Forestry. “But more than that, we believe we can establish a model for more efforts of this type that would be relevant to millions of acres in Central and Eastern Oregon that face similar problems.”
Like many areas in this dryer region of Oregon, forests are suffering from overcrowding, decades of fire suppression, insect and disease epidemics, and other concerns that leave them highly vulnerable to catastrophic fire.
It’s generally agreed that careful forest thinning can help reduce wildfire risks, improve forest health, and free up water resources for use by fish and other wildlife. But such approaches, which can cost $300 to $1,500 per acre, are often prohibitively expensive unless something can be done to produce revenue that offsets the costs.
In this case, that offset mechanism is going to be a new electric power plant, fueled by wood.
A key collaborator in the initiative is The Collins Companies of Portland, which operates the Collins-Lakeview forestlands in this area, and one of the last surviving timber mills.
“The Collins Companies for many years have been one of the most progressive forest product companies in the Pacific Northwest, with a long interest in sustainable forestry and innovative forest products solutions,” Salwasser said. “They already have a co-generation facility at their Northern California operation, using the same technologies and providing the same type of ecological as well as economic benefits.”
The new project would construct a larger electrical production plant, fueled by biomass from thinning operations in the nearby national forests, as well as sawmill wood byproducts. The plant would feed more substantial amounts of electricity into the regional grid. A sustainable supply of wood from small trees with little market value would be taken from these lands, some for lumber production and some for electricity. The cost of building the new electrical plant would be offset with the sale of electricity and steam from the plant.
Lake County Resources Initiative and The Collins Companies are working with two power companies that finance, build and operate their own plants. The new plant will be located at the Collins Company, Fremont Sawmill, taking their older boiler off line and selling steam to the Fremont Sawmill for their kilns.
Besides the immediate benefits of reducing fire risks, there may be other payoffs, experts say. A major wildfire would release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. But the controlled use of that same wood for lumber or electrical production would be positive in terms of “greenhouse gas” emissions. Future fires would not release the same amount of carbon dioxide, the wood that goes into building products stores carbon, and the biomass that goes into power production offsets the need to produce that energy from fossil fuels.
Local jobs in mills and forest thinning would also be created, fire fighting costs might be reduced, tax revenues would be generated, and substantial water and recreational benefits might result.
“If this works right, there could be a lot of benefits,” Salwasser said. “Some will be very tangible, such as the production of wood products, electricity, and local residents who will be able to keep good-paying jobs,” Salwasser said. “But we’re also going to evaluate the whole range of environmental, ecological, wildlife and other payoffs from the project. For instance, there should be carbon sequestration benefits that have global climate implications, and might be turned into carbon credits you could sell.”
If the project is effective, it could be used to create a model that other localities could learn from and use, with local adjustments, to suit the needs of their own lands, environmental concerns and forest product companies, Salwasser said. Among other things, strategies such as this are one of the recommendations included in the recent Oregon Strategy for Greenhouse Gas Reductions that has been presented to Kulongoski.
“The model we are developing is one where we will be creating jobs and restoring the forest to more natural conditions,” said Jim Walls, executive director of Lake County Resources. “Ecological restoration and economic development can accomplish common goals for the environment and the community. They are not mutually exclusive.”
Collaborators on the project include OSU, Portland State University, The Collins Companies, Fremont National Forest, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Forestry, Lake County Resources Initiative, conservation interests, and other groups.
“It’s good to see groups that sometimes have been in opposing positions come together to create common ground and land management approaches that everyone can support,” Salwasser said.
An agreement committing partners to cooperate in the proposed thinning and construction of the new power plant should be complete within six months, Salwasser said, and work in the forest will begin soon after that.
This is the first Oregon Solutions project that the OSU College of Forestry has become involved in, he said, but others may follow in the future.
Oregon Solutions grew out of the Oregon Sustainability Act of 2001.
http://www.harvestcleanenergy.org/enews/enews_0505/enews_0505_Forest_Energy.htm
What is The Natural Step framework?
The Natural Step (TNS) is a framework grounded in natural science that serves as a guide for businesses, communities, educators, government entities, and individuals on the path toward sustainable development.
The Natural Step framework encourages dialogue, consensus building, and systems-thinking (key processes of organizational learning) and creates the conditions for profound change to occur. It does not prescribe or condemn other approaches but rather introduces and expands on new possibilities.
What are The Natural Step's Four System Conditions?
1. In order for a society to be sustainable, nature's functions and diversity are not systematically subject to increasing concentrations of substances extracted from the earth's crust.
In a sustainable society, human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, and the mining of metals and minerals, will not occur at a rate that causes them to systematically increase in the ecosphere. There are thresholds beyond which living organisms and ecosystems are adversely affected by increases in substances from the earth's crust. Problems may include an increase in greenhouse gases leading to global warming, contamination of surface and ground water, and metal toxicity which can cause functional disturbances in animals. In practical terms, the first condition requires society to implement comprehensive metal and mineral recycling programs and to decrease economic dependence on fossil fuels.
2. In order for a society to be sustainable, nature's functions and diversity are not systematically subject to increasing concentrations of substances produced by society.
In a sustainable society, humans will avoid generating systematic increases in persistent substances such as DDT, PCBs, and freon. Synthetic organic compounds such as DDT and PCBs can remain in the environment for many years, bio-accumulating in the tissue of organisms and causing profound deleterious effects on predators in the upper levels of the food chain. Freon, and other ozone depleting compounds, may increase risk of cancer due to added UV radiation in the troposphere. Society needs to find ways to reduce economic dependence on persistent human-made substances.
3. In order for a society to be sustainable, nature's functions and diversity are not systematically impoverished by physical displacement, over-harvesting, or other forms of ecosystem manipulation.
In a sustainable society, humans will avoid taking more from the biosphere than can be replenished by natural systems. In addition, people will avoid systematically encroaching upon nature by destroying the habitat of other species. Biodiversity, which includes the great variety of animals and plants found in nature, provides the foundation for ecosystem services which are necessary to sustain life on this planet. Society's health and prosperity depends on the enduring capacity of nature to renew itself and rebuild waste into resources.
4. In a sustainable society, people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs.
All human beings have intrinsic needs. The goal of the social system is to provide the opportunity for all to meet those needs, as a precondition to a dignified way of life for everyone. “What” we do and “how” we do it matters. To make decisions which take us toward this goal, in consideration of any policy, product, marketing or investment, we should always identify in advance the people who are going to be affected, taking the widest possible systems view. We should ask ourselves: "Would we like to be subjected to the conditions we create?” In addition, the manner in which we make these decisions should allow for participation, be transparent, hold actors accountable and be honest.
Oregon Rural Action Principles Democracy -- We believe that decision making should adhere to democratic principles, both in our organization and our government.
Participation -- If democracy is to flourish, it is both the right and responsibility of people to participate in the decisions that affect their lives. All people should have access to the political decision making processes, regardless of race, income level, language, age, ability or citizenship status
.
Leadership development -- We are committed to helping individuals develop the skills necessary to organize successfully around issues at the local, regional, national and global levels.
Diversity and Cooperation -- If we are to be a truly democratic society, our decision-making bodies must reflect the diversity of our communities. Our members come from diverse racial, cultural, regional, economic, and occupational backgrounds and rarely agree on everything. We believe people still have the capacity to respect one another and work together on issues.
Justice -- We believe all people should have access to services providing for our basic needs, such as health care, and allowing for full participation in society, such as education.
Stewardship -- We have the responsibility to ensure our natural resources are used sustainably so that future generations will have a plentiful and healthy environment.
Apollo Alliance Board of Directors.
“The movement to make American cities more sustainable, efficient and livable is perhaps the greatest new engine for urban economic growth, innovation, and job creation in decades,” said Phil Angelides, Chairman of the Apollo Alliance Board of Directors.
“A greener American economy can and will create jobs,” added Joel Rogers, Director of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy. “To make real progress one economic and workforce development in the new energy economy, we must focus more carefully on key clean energy sectors and seize the opportunities in leading industries, like: energy efficiency, wind, and biofuels.”
A report by the Oregon Environmental Council, October 2007
Energy derived from biofuels, wind, solar, geothermal, and wave technology produced in Oregon can serve as a driver of economic development across the state, creating new industry and jobs, reducing energy costs and stabilizing local energy supply. By investing in these renewable resources now, Oregon is positioning itself to be on the leading edge of an emerging low-carbon economy and an exporter of clean energy technologies necessary now and over the long term to combat climate change.
In particular, the establishment of incentives and a stable market for biofuels empowers Oregon farmers and businesses to develop these renewable fuels locally. In many cases, renewable fuels development can provide growers an added income stream, strengthening Oregon’s agricultural sector.
With emerging opportunities to develop and market new clean fuel technologies, renewable fuels development can foster new Oregon-grown industries. These businesses will not only create jobs, but also ensure that an increasing share of our energy dollars (running in the billions of dollars per year) are invested in the local economy, rather than sent out of state or overseas.
2.2 Second-Generation Biofuels
There are a range of technologies currently being commercialized that will allow the production of ethanol, biodiesel and other advanced fuels from cellulosic feedstocks, leading to what are often referred to as “second-generation biofuels.” Cellulose makes up the majority of plants in nature, and cellulosic feedstocks include corn or wheat stalks, forest thinnings, grasses and bushes: all materials that are potentially available in much greater quantities than first-generation feedstocks and won’t compete with food production. Second-generation biofuels are expected to become commercially viable over the next five to ten years, although technological breakthroughs could speed this up.
There are two main groups of technologies for converting cellulose to biofuels: the biochemical (or enzymatic) platform or the thermochemical platform. The biochemical platform uses enzymes to break cellulose down to sugars where it can be converted to ethanol. The thermochemical platform essentially involves heating biomass under conditions of low oxygen. In what is referred to as biomass-to-liquids or BTL, the biomass is gasified and then can be converted into a range of fuels including both ethanol and biodiesel. In fast pyrolysis, biomass is converted directly to a “bio-oil,” which can be used for heating of power generation or refined into a vehicle-grade fuel.
There are only a handful of mostly pilot-scale plants using these technologies in the world. In North America there are only two plants, both located in Canada: Iogen’s pilot-scale enzymatic cellulosic ethanol plant in Ottawa and Dynamotive’s small commercial-scale fast pyrolysis plant in West Lorne, Ontario. The US Department of Energy (USDOE) has just given grants totaling $385 million for six pilot-scale plants using a range of technologies; this, along with a range of other incentives being considered at the federal level, is likely to accelerate the development of cellulosic biofuels considerably. Still, it is likely to be five to ten years before commercial scale production of cellulosic biofuels will really begin to expand.F
Biodiesel from Algae, Powered by Geothermal
Biodiesel plant in Wabuska, Nevada, uses geothermal energy and crops to create renewable energy.
by Karen Woodmansee
With gasoline prices hitting over $3 a gallon in the U.S., Claude Sapp, principal for Infinifuel Biodiesel, is working to turn the oldest geothermal plant in Nevada into a biodiesel processing facility, where camelina oil seed and even algae is becoming diesel fuel.
"The water at the geothermal plant comes out of the ground at about 220 degrees," Sapp said. "The plant makes electricity, with any excess sold back to Sierra Pacific, so it is all self-contained. We're trying not to use any petroleum products at all."
-- Claud Sapp, Infinifuel Biodiesel, principal
Any plant that produces high oil yields can someday power a vehicle said Sapp.
"We can get it from crambe, canola-type plants, oily seeds, even algae, " he said.
Sapp expects to have the first crop available in July, when camelina oil seed will be harvested and sent to a Lovelock plant to be crushed. Eventually, however, he hopes to have the plant at 15 Julian Lane in Wabuska, Nevada, ready to grow its own algae, which he said can be harvested monthly.
"It (algae) starts out in a test tube and replicates itself," he said. "We can grow it in our test ponds. It is about a thousand times more productive to grow algae than growing oil seed in the dirt. We have plenty of land to expand. We can grow acres more than our test ponds."
Sapp said government researchers were initially skeptical about algae growing in Nevada's desert climate because of the cool nights, but with the geothermal energy, Infinifuel can maintain a constant temperature.
"We can grow more algae and harvest it more often than we can dry crops," he said.
That doesn't mean dry crops don't have a future with Infinifuel. Sapp said he has distributed oil seed to farmers from Eureka to Tonopah and hopes to have enough to crush by summer.
"We'll have some at 4,000 feet and 6,000 feet, so we'll get a good idea on what grows where," he said. "Farmers from across the state have told me they can't keep planting hay and alfalfa."
The plant, which Sapp hopes puts out its first batch of biodiesel in July, is almost entirely self-contained, and fits in nicely with the ranching and farming environment around Wabuska and Yerington.
It begins with algae or oil seed being nourished by the sun, fertilizer and carbon dioxide, then crushed or pressed in a special facility to become vegetable oil and biomass. The biomass is added to alcohol, where it is mixed with the vegetable oil and heated with geothermal power in a biodiesel plant, where it becomes finished biodiesel.
Glycerine, a byproduct of geothermal processing, can be used in dust suppression and the biomass, left over from the crushing and pressing process, becomes fertilizer or fish or animal food.
The geothermal facility Sapp is using creates enough to power the biodiesel plant and even sell some electricity.
"The water at the geothermal plant comes out of the ground at about 220 degrees," Sapp said. "The plant makes electricity, with any excess sold back to Sierra Pacific, so it is all self-contained. We're trying not to use any petroleum products at all."
The plant used to produce ethanol, back in the 1980s, Sapp said.
"They tried to do corn ethanol," he said. "But when gas got cheap again, they abandoned it."
He doesn't expect that to happen again.
"We got all the cheap stuff (crude oil)," he said. "All that's left is the stuff that's hard to get to. There could be hundreds of years of it, but it won't be easy or cheap."
Sapp gave a tour of his facility last month to researchers from Desert Research Institute (DRI) and engineers from Summit Engineering, hoping to partner with each in the future to improve his operation.
"DRI is the research powerhouse in the state and Summit is the engineering and building powerhouse in the state," he said.
Del Fortner, energy and mineral manager for Summit, was impressed with the concept.
"The whole thing about renewable energy is it is so compatible with other things around it, like agriculture," he said, pointing to cows grazing nearby. "They're putting a dairy across the street and he can get fertilizer from local ranchers."
Kent Hoekman of DRI said the institute is interested in all types of energy research.
"Making fuels from plants and the environmental impact of making geothermal and biodiesel we find interesting," he said.
Sapp said he has expansion facilities planned in Hazen and Valmy, near Winnemucca and expects to grow thousands of acres of algae and oil seed.
"Valmy for sure," he said. "We have already secured land near the power plant to grow algae and oil seed."
He also doesn't plan to limit himself to Nevada, having picked up additional investors and land in North Carolina as well.
Karen Woodmansee is a staff reporter at the Carson City, Nevada-based newspaper, the Nevada Appeal. This article was reprinted with permission from Nevada Appeal.