Food manufacturers debating the value of installing an anaerobic digester on their property have good reason to get off the fence. An unprecedented offer by the U. S. government to jump start renewable energy projects, like anaerobic digestion, is expiring at the end of the year. What’s particularly significant is the fact that this is not a tax credit. Rather, it’s a tax-free, no limit, U. S. Treasury grant of up to 30% of project costs. Checks are issued within sixty (60) days of project completion.
The on-line application itself is only six pages long, but work needs to be initiated before the end of the year to create a “safe harbor” provision that delays actual submission of the application until the end of September 2011. Ongoing work must be completed before 2014. Unlike other incentive programs, the Treasury grant program employs objective criteria and does not make applicants compete against one another.
Anaerobic digestion offers a superior form of renewable energy that produces 24/7. Moreover, it is a carbon-neutral technology that turns a negative into a positive: transforming food waste, creating jobs, mitigating odor issues and providing ROI in as little as four years. Food processors are particularly well-suited for this opportunity because their waste is typically high in energy content.
If you want to turn your food waste into a new revenue stream, capitalize on new technology that makes sense for the environment, and do something phenomenal for community relations — don’t let this pass you by. The biogas generated by the digester can make electricity and heat to run your plant and you can put an end to expensive landfill disposal costs.
The only downside is that we are running out of time. At this point, there is no indication the grant will be extended into 2011.
For more information, contact Russ Yoder at quasar energy group at (216) 986- 9999 x 132 or visit www.quasarenergygroup.com.
