Southwest Minnesota's renewable energy industry was on display April 9-12 at the Biotechnology Industry Organization's annual international convention in Chicago, according to a press release from the Southwest Minnesota Foundation.
The foundation hosted a Renewable Energy Marketplace exhibit as part of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development's "Positively Minnesota" pavilion. The exhibit featured information about the region's growing wind, biofuels and biomass industries.
The Renewable Energy Marketplace group held a news conference at the event, titled "Meet the Architects Behind Minnesota's Renewable Energy Miracle." Speakers included Agriculture Commission Gene Hugoson; David Paskach, vice president of the Southwest Minnesota Foundation; and Sue Pirsig, executive director of the Swift County Regional Development Association.
Several businesses were featured at the Renewable Energy Marketplace display, including Home Farms Technologies, which plans to install a gasification system at a new facility in Redwood Falls. It will convert 475 tons of solid municipal waste each day into a clean-burning synthetic gas. The gas will replace natural gas now used to produce the steam for operating the Central Bi-Products plant.
Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company of Benson also was spotlighted as a leading producer of ethanol. CVEC produces 45 million gallons of ethanol a year and is planning to use biomass energy -- burning corn stalks and husks -- to replace its use of natural gas.
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CVEC also is creating new products such as Shakers Vodka, distilled from wheat and rye on site at the ethanol plant. The premium vodka was featured at a reception hosted by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development at BIO 2006.
CVEC's neighbor, FibroMinn, was also highlighted as a significant biomass project that will use poultry litter and other forms of biomass to produce 50 megawatts of electricity -- enough to supply 50,000 homes with power.
Chris Huisinga of Life-Science Innovations and MinnWest Technology Campus and Steve Renquist, executive director of the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission, shared information about the MinnWest Technology Campus, which opened this year in Willmar and already has tenants innovating in the fields of robotics, process flow manufacturing and vaccine research and development and production.
The exhibit also offered an opportunity to showcase "green" products such as shirts, cups and other plastic-like products made from corn-based polylactic acid. Candy-coated soynuts were also a hit with conference attendees.
