Energy firm has an eye on Hinsdale

Jul 15, 2010 — The Keene Sentinel

Kyle Jarvis

Jul. 15, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- HINSDALE -- Hinsdale could become home to the first-of-its-kind recycling facility in the country.

The proposal for a plant that would recycle organic material and turn it into energy comes from the Waltham, Mass.-based alternative energy company Harvest Power Inc., which has teamed up with Triple T Trucking of Brattleboro to make their pitch to Hinsdale.

"We're still in the exploratory stages," said Kate Wattson, Harvest Power's director of business development. "We have looked at a few other communities, but at this point Hinsdale is our first choice."

The technology involves a process called high solids anaerobic digestion, a European-developed system that captures energy from solid, dry organic materials.

"Extracting the energy value from drier solids, such as food and yard waste, is a next-generation technology," she said.

It's so new, in fact, that no similar facility exists in North America. But Wattson hopes that's about to change.

"We're hoping to break ground on the first such facility in Vancouver (Canada) this September," she said. "But in general there are thousands of these facilities across the country, just not on a commercial scale.

"As these kinds of technologies are developed, there's a significant cost curve," Wattson said. "Now we're at a point where it makes sense financially in America, and we're beginning to see parity in terms of cost."

Potential benefits include reduced waste going to landfills and the creation of non-fossil fuel-based energy, which also yields a natural fertilizer.

Harvest Power is looking at whether there's enough organic waste to make the facility a viable option.

"We're looking at securing enough organic waste within a given transportation range that can then be sold as energy," Wattson said. "We're hoping to find a community that's willing to take on a green energy project like this one."

Triple T Trucking would haul organic waste materials to the facility, where they'd be processed and the energy extracted from them, which can then be sold to commercial clients.

In fact, Harvest Power says it can capture enough renewable energy content in organic waste to power one-third of Hinsdale's homes, according to materials presented to the town's planning board.

Construction of the facility would create as many as 50 jobs and seven to 10 permanent positions once the plant was up and running, and eight to 12 more positions for Triple T Trucking, according to Harvest Power's presentation last month.

"We collect a lot of organic waste material, so basically we'd be collecting more of it," said Peter Gaskill, Triple T Trucking's general manager.

Triple T "already hauls 10 to 20 tons of organic waste every day from stores and restaurants," Wattson said.

Hinsdale Town Administrator Jill E. Collins said the town has yet to weigh in on the project. The town's attorney is examining zoning regulations to determine if they allow for such a facility, she said.

A public hearing will be held Wednesday to give residents a chance to ask questions and raise concerns.

One area being scouted is off Route 119, where the new Walmart is being built; the other is off Monument Road, in the town's tax increment finance district, Collins said.

"They (Harvest Power) prefer the Route 119 location because it's a good-sized lot of over 190 acres and has easy access to the state highway," Collins said.

u The public hearing will be Wednesday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the town hall.

Newstex ID: KRTB-1475-47002692