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Southern California Gas Company: Media Advisory: Converting Onion Juice Into Clean Energy; Collaboration Key to Success of Inno

^{Published on 2009-07-14 10:29:58, Last Modified on 2009-07-14 10:30:08 - Market Wire}
 

OXNARD, CA--(Marketwire - July 14, 2009) -

 What: Oxnard, Calif.-based Gills Onions, the largest fresh onion processor in the nation, will unveil its new Advanced Energy Recovery System at its headquarters. The system converts 100 percent of its 300,000 pounds of onion waste per day into ultra-clean heat, electrical energy and high-value cattle feed, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 30,000 tons per year. By extracting the juice out of onion waste and letting it ferment in an anaerobic digester system, Gills Onions creates enough biogas to power two 300 kilowatt fuel cells -- the equivalent of powering 460 homes -- and saves Gills $700,000 in annual electricity costs. By taking action on climate change and installing new, qualifying equipment under the state of California's Self-Generation Incentive Program, Southern California Gas Co. will award Gills Onions with a $2.7 million incentive check. To date, it is one of the largest SGIP projects installed since the inception of the program in 2001 as an effort to encourage consumers to begin generating their own energy. The key to the success of this innovative technology has been the collaboration with Southern California Gas Co., California Energy Commission, The Gas Technology Institute, California Environmental Protection Agency, Fuel Cell Energy, Ventura County Air Pollution Control District and the city of Oxnard. Who: Steven Gill, owner/partner of Gills Onions Linda Adams, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency A.G. Kawamura, California Secretary of Agriculture Hal D. Snyder, vice president of customer solutions, Southern California Gas Co. When: Friday, July 17 -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 10 a.m. -- AERS presentation 11:30 a.m. -- Ribbon-cutting ceremony / one-on-one interviews and photo opportunities 12 p.m. -- Special media tour of the technology, which includes mechanical juice extraction, anaerobic treatment system, and two fuel cells. Where: Gills Onions, 1051 S. Pacific Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93030