Yogurt Waste to Energy with Combined Heat and Power Webinar

The Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation and the Southeast Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership (Southeast CHP TAP) are pleased to announce an upcoming webinar on Wednesday, December 12 at 2 p.m. Central time. The CHP TAPs are funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to promote and assist in transforming the market for CHP, waste heat to power and district energy technologies and concepts throughout the United States.  Speakers at this webinar include Daren Kaiser, Global Energy Strategy Leader for General Mills and Art Samberg, Assistant Director of the Southeast CHP TAP.

Mr. Kaiser will present on the Combined Heat and Power system installed at the General Mills’ Yoplait plant in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  In 2013, General Mills invested $7.5M to expand the facility’s wastewater treatment plant.  This expansion included an anaerobic digester to process acid whey which is a byproduct of greek yogurt production.  By digesting this byproduct, the facility avoids disposal costs amounting to $2.5M annually.  The digester produces over 400 SCFM of biogas consisting of approximately 63 percent methane.  Following completion of the WWTP expansion, General Mills decided to invest an additional $5.8M to utilize this “free” gas to power a combined heat and power system employing a 2,000 horsepower CAT engine and integrated generator.  The CHP system generates 1.6 megawatts which represents 20 percent of the Yoplait plant electrical needs and the recovered heat reduces natural gas purchases by greater than 50 percent, resulting in a net utility savings of $800,000 annually. The project has received numerous engineering, energy and sustainability awards.

Mr. Samberg’s presentation will provide information on U.S. DOE’s CHP TAP program and the technical assistance provided by the partnership.  His presentation will also include information as to how combined heat and power systems produce thermal and electric energy from a single fuel source, how these systems help support resiliency and sustainability goals as well as information on the current CHP market.

Contact Kimberly Conley at NCCETC or Caleb Powell with Tennessee State Government with questions.