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Gevo Inc. stepped closer to becoming the first bio-based production company to use renewable energy resources to power its production plant and reduce its carbon footprint on the environment.
The two wind turbines — west of the Luverne Agri-Energy facility — are expected to supply electricity to produce ethanol and isobutanol by green energy next month.
A ribbon-cutting celebrating the turbines’ completion was conducted Wednesday morning, March 11, under foggy skies.
Gevo Chief Executive Officer Patrick Gruber thanked the 35 people who attended the event. They gathered at the north turbine site along County Road 4. The two turbines comprise Gevo’s Rock County Wind Fuel project.
Gevo partnered with Juhl Energy of Chanhassen to construct and manage the two 2.5 MW turbines.
Faith Technologies of Minneapolis completed the construction of the turbines and the burial of the underground cables that brings electricity directly to the production plant. The company will finish commissioning the turbines in the next couple of weeks.
Harrison Street, an investment company in Chicago, and First Farmers and Merchants Bank financed the first of two phases of Gevo’s green energy plan to reduce carbon emissions.
The emissions reduction allows Gevo’s corn-based products to be sold in the more profitable low-carbon fuel market.
The use of renewable energy sources lowers the production plant’s carbon intensity rating. The rating is based on how much carbon dioxide is released into the environment during the manufacturing process.
Gevo’s goal is to make the Luverne plant the lowest CI-rated site in the U.S.
The completion of the wind turbines is one step toward Gevo’s goal.
“It’s really eventful,” Gruber said. “We want to show the world how it is done.”
Financing of Phase 2 of Gevo’s green energy plan is currently underway.
Phase 2 replaces the plant’s reliance on natural gas, another carbon-based fuel, with biogas digester using livestock manure.
Gevo is working with local livestock producers on the biogas concept with potential operations in place by 2023.
The green energy plan was released in June 2019 with $100 million in planned improvements. Once successfully implemented, employment at the plant is expected to increase.
Currently the plant employs 30 direct workers and 20 contractors. The plan is to expand to 50 workers and 50 contractors.
The Luverne plant was originally built in 1996 with ethanol production beginning in 1998.
Isobutanol was first produced at the plant in 2012.
In addition to isobutanol and ethanol, Gevo also manufactures jet fuel and isooctane from corn. Corn oil and high protein animal feed are sellable by-products from the fuel-making process.
Once the wind turbines are fully operational, Gevo expects to increase its annual use of corn to 7.5 million with plans to double that amount once the green energy plan is completed.