Biofuels Power Corp. announced Monday that it has started to produce and sell electricity into the ERCOT Power Grid from its biodiesel powered generating plant in Oak Ridge North, Texas, making it the first power plant in the U.S. to run entirely on biodiesel.
The Oak Ridge North facility has a capacity of up to five megawatts and uses three diesel powered Caterpillar generators that run exclusively on biodiesel fuel produced by the Safe Renewables Corp. (SRC) refinery located within two miles of the power plant.
SRC produces biodiesel from renewable sources including soy, cottonseed, canola oil and animal fats.
According to Ken Crimmins, COO of Biofuels Power, the new Oak Ridge North plant will help environmentally conscious companies reduce their air pollution footprint by satisfying their electricity needs with carbon neutral and 100% renewable fuels.
Biofuels Power is currently building a larger turbine-based biodiesel power plant at the Safe Renewables’ refinery site which is expected to deliver over 10 megawatts into the Entergy power grid that delivers electricity to customers in East Texas and Louisiana.
These renewable power projects can provide “islands of power,” protecting areas from blackouts.