Problems And Solutions
PROBLEM
The diminishing production of domestic natural gas coupled with increased demand has caused an increase in natural gas prices over recent years from approximately $2.00 to over $5.00 per MMBtu (million British thermal units) in January 2010 with spikes to over $14.00 per MMBtu in the years in between. U.S. gas production is falling behind demand for this clean burning fuel and the primary sources (Canada and Mexico) of pipeline gas previously imported by the U.S.A. have increasing domestic demand and falling production.
SOLUTION
Heartland Renewable Energy will design, own and operate renewable energy plants in the USA and Canada and Mexico using proprietary advanced anaerobic digester technology to convert biomass (animal manures, food wastes, agricultural residues, residential garbage, etc.) to biogas. The gas produced will be sold under long-term contract to natural gas companies and delivered, after cleaning of the biogas, as natural gas, to pipelines. The highly efficient Heartland plant process and design will support highly competitive and profitable operation.
PROBLEM
Trends in large animal feeding and dairy operations are toward consolidation and larger herds. The manure wastes from these operations are sources of odor, other air emissions and threaten water quality. Large animal feeding operations are subject to increasingly strict regulatory control and the amount of waste produced can limit the size of the herds. In addition, new regulations are increasing the cost of disposal
SOLUTION
The regulation of animal manures allows Heartland to provide a solution by taking these wastes and converting them to useful products, including natural gas and a high quality soil amendment, which has significant market value for agricultural, greenhouse, gardening, landscaping, land reclamation, turf topping and soil erosion prevention/mitigation purposes
PROBLEM
Recognizing the country's increasing dependence on energy from non-renewable sources, most states have instituted Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards mandating that electric utility companies generate increasing amounts of electricity from renewable energy sources.
SOLUTION
Heartland's plants will generate high quality renewable energy from various types of biomass. The resulting gas may be combusted to provide heat that in turn can drive electric power generators to produce electricity for the electric grid. This technology can make a significant contribution to a renewable energy portfolio, and both economic and regulatory pressures encourage the production of natural gas by Heartland's gas production plants.
PROBLEM
Environmental impacts from human activity are increasingly damaging to our air and water. Economic dependency on non-renewable energy sources is great and growing. Both incentives and regulations are strategies being used to address this situation; however, the markets related to these strategies are still developing.
SOLUTION
Heartland plants will yield significant environmental benefits, including generation of useful energy from renewable resources; cleaning up of organic waste concentrations that negatively impact air, land and water quality; and, the capture of methane and nitrous oxide that otherwise would go into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming (methane and nitrous oxide are greenhouse gases with, respectively, about 20 times and 300 times the "greenhouse impact" of carbon dioxide).
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