“As of April 1st, thirty percent of our farm’s energy is supplied by biomass powered CHP generators,” says Kevin Foley with Premier Mushrooms, Inc. “The generators were built in an effort to capture local agricultural waste stream and convert it into a source of power for our farm.” Walnut shells and almond shells, by-products of these nut crops, are considered agricultural waste, but are now utilized to decrease Premier’s energy use.
The first step was taken in November 2013 when Premier Mushrooms was approached by Community Power Corporation (CPC). CPC is the creator of fully automated modular bioenergy systems known as the BioMax. Premier Mushrooms and CPC decided to partner up and bring their largest installation to date (300kw) to Premier’s farm in Colusa, Northern California. “Premier has been building and refining its sustainability program for years and procuring a source of renewable energy was just a natural progression in an effort to advance its environmental goals,” said John Ashbaugh with Premier Mushrooms.
A year and a half later, the bio-energy systems are online and off-setting Premier Mushrooms with clean, green energy. In addition to the clean energy, Premier is also able to utilize the waste heat from the generators to pre-heat its boilers and off-set natural gas used for sterilization.
Premier values partnerships like the one with CPC and is excited to be moving closer to its goal of sourcing 100 percent of its power from a renewable source by 2020. “As energy prices continue to rise and natural resources continue to wane, it will become increasingly important to seek out opportunities to operate more efficiently and more sustainably,” Foley added. “We look at sustainability as an opportunity and strive to continue leading the way as a sustainable Northern California farm.”
For more information:
Kevin Foley
John Ashbaugh
Premier Mushrooms, Inc.
Tel: (+1) 530-458-2700