On Wed., April 28, Great River Energy finalized the purchase of the Elk River Resource Recovery Facility, which processes the municipal solid waste (MSW) used to make refuse-derived fuel (RDF) for powering Great River Energy’s Elk River Station power plant. Great River Energy previously owned 15 percent of the processing facility. The other 85 percent was owned by Resource Recovery Technologies (RRT).

The power plant is a 35-megawatt facility with the capacity to convert energy from as much as 1,000 tons of RDF each day. The acquisition of the processing facility, along with the continued operation of the power plant, helps Great River Energy meet the Minnesota Renewable Energy Standard which requires the state’s electric utilities to generate 25 percent of their power with renewable energy sources by the year 2025.

To better reflect the integrated nature of these two facilities, the power plant is now named the Elk River Energy Recovery Station, and the processing facility is now named the Elk River Resource Processing Plant.

“Elk River Energy Recovery Station is a valuable resource for Great River Energy and the surrounding communities,” said Wayne Hanson, Great River Energy director of Minnesota generation. “The processing facility is critical to keeping the power plant operating,” he said.

Under a 20-year joint venture agreement with Great River Energy, RRT had been responsible for operating and maintaining the processing facility. RRT also participated in a 20-year processing agreement with adjacent counties to supply MSW to the processing facility. However, both agreements expired in August 2009.

As part of the acquisition, Great River Energy also purchased from RRT the Becker ash landfill, which has received the ash from the Elk River Energy Recovery Station for the past 20 years and only contains ash from the plant. This 86-acre facility has sufficient space to receive the plant’s ash for another 40 years.

Contracts with Anoka and Sherburne County waste haulers to deliver MSW to the Elk River Resource Processing Plant have been finalized and regulatory permits and licenses are in place. According to Hanson, support from these two counties and the local haulers have been critical to the continued operation of the power plant.

Energy efficiency tip: Consider factors such as your climate, building design, and budget when selecting insulation R-values for your home.

This is the fourth consecutive year that two peregrine falcons have made their home in a nesting box located atop Great River Energy’s Elk River Station near the banks of the Mississippi River.

Since 2007, nine peregrines have been born at Elk River Station. An area Boy Scout built the nesting box as part of his Eagle Scout project in 2006. The box was installed more than 100 feet high. In 2010 a new box replaced the original; another local youngster built the current box for a 4-H project.

Great River Energy’s Elk River Station is a perfect site for a nesting box because it is located in a peregrine falcon migratory flyway. The site, beside the Mississippi River, is also a draw because the birds prefer to nest in high locations near water. In recent history, power plants have had the best peregrine production rates in the Midwest.

We are excited to report that Elk River Station falcons are currently incubating 4 eggs. Those eggs are expected to hatch on May 14 or 15. You can monitor the falcons’ progress via the Great River Energy Birdcam at: http://www.greatriverenergy.com/aboutus/environmental/birdcam.html

Energy efficiency tip: Consider purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures. They are available in many styles including table, desk and floor lamps — and hard-wired options for front porches, dining rooms, bathroom vanity fixtures, and more.

Great River Energy’s Big Lake service center was recently awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

LEED is the nationally accepted rating system for buildings that demonstrate energy efficiency and sustainability. The 41,500-square-foot facility, which opened in May 2008, features several energy efficient features, including geothermal heating and cooling. In addition, 34 percent of building materials came from recycled sources and 24 percent were manufactured locally.

LEED certification is awarded based on a point system; the Big Lake service center received 29 LEED points – three more than are needed to achieve LEED certification. A significant amount of the points were awarded in the “Optimize Energy Performance” category, largely as a result of efficient heating and cooling.

The facility uses a heat recovery system to recycle heat rather than exhaust it from the building. The geothermal system uses the relatively constant underground temperature to both heat and cool the space. The vehicle areas and perimeter office space are heated with in-floor radiant heat from the geothermal heat pump.

The Big Lake service center serves as a home base for specialized equipment necessary for construction and maintenance to the electrical grid, such as cranes and bucket trucks. The facility allows all equipment to be stored in an easily accessible indoor structure. Also, because of its central location, the Big Lake service center will serve as a storage location for large equipment that travels all over the state. Six full-time linemen are stationed out of the facility. In addition to the garage area, the facility also includes an office, shop material area and a large conference room to host meetings with technicians from across the state.

Great River Energy has two other LEED-certified facilities. Our Maple Grove, Minn. Headquarters is Platinum LEED-certified and our Bismarck, N.D. office facility is Gold LEED-certified.

Energy efficiency tip: Selecting energy-efficient office equipment – personal computers, monitors, copiers, printers, and fax machines – and turning off machines when they are not in use can result in enormous energy savings.

This spring and summer, Great River Energy and its member cooperatives are on a mission to help consumers get rid of the most inefficient appliance in the house: the spare fridge or freezer.

Too often when consumers buy a new refrigerator they move the older model to the garage or basement. This can add up to $150 to a home’s annual energy costs.

Now through Aug. 31, co-ops are offering their members $35 to recycle their old refrigerator or freezer. A professional contractor will haul away the old appliance and properly recycle it.

Participants must be members of participating cooperatives and meet eligibility requirements. Visit www.mnbrighterideas.com to learn more about the program.

Energy efficiency tip: Get rid of that old fridge or freezer in your house!

“Through research, we learned that our process separates particles by density. That means that a significant amount of higher density compounds containing sulfur and mercury can be sorted out and returned to the mine, rather than oxidized in the boiler,” said Charlie Bullinger, senior principal engineer at Great River Energy’s Coal Creek Station.

The DryFining system offers significant operating benefits for Coal Creek Station, which immediately translates into benefits for Great River Energy’s cooperative members. “The project is part of a larger, long-term strategy designed to lower costs and improve our environmental performance, while developing new technology and innovation to benefit the fossil fuels industry,” said David Saggau, president and CEO, Great River Energy. Great River Energy developed the technology in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

The Lignite Fuel Enhancement System – as DryFining was originally called – was selected in round one of DOE’s Clean Coal Power Initiative in 2003. The initiative focused on commercial scale technology demonstrations to continue and expand the use of coal as a fuel source. The project at Coal Creek Station was administered by the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory.

“This unique coal refining system, a successful product of the DOE’s Clean Coal Power Initiative program, enables the nation to tap into vast resources of high-moisture coal while simultaneously providing environmental benefits,” said Thomas Sarkus, deputy director, Office of Major Demonstrations, National Energy Technology Laboratory.

Use of technology worldwide

Great River Energy has partnered with WorleyParsons to make this technology available to the global marketplace. As part of that partnership, WorleyParsons manages technology licensing for DryFining and will work with utilities interested in using the patented process to realize the dramatic efficiency improvements and emissions reductions observed at Coal Creek Station.

Energy efficiency tip: Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.