A local bioenergy company has been awarded $1.5 million to build an "energy garden" that uses kitchen scraps to help light homes.
Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre, a Harvest Power Inc. company, will divert 27,000 metric tons of organic materials from B.C. landfills.
The grant/loan follows a $4 milllion federal grant announced in 2010.
The recent funding, supplied by the nonprofit, provincially-funded BC Bioenergy Network (BCBN), will be put toward two project components - the first of which is a $1 million loan toward the commercial demonstration of a High Solids Anaerobic Digestion (HSAD) plant that will convert food scraps and yard trimmings to electricity.
The second project component is acquiring a pilot scale, mobile HSAD unit, which BCBN provided a $500,000 grant toward. It will be initially tested in Richmond, and later toured throughout North America.
