Algae renewable energy company rebuilds
An unusual octagonal structure is being built by Algae AquaCulture Technologies on the property of F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. in Columbia falls. The Green Power House is part of a closed loop process to create renewable energy from biomass, with useful byproducts such as organic fertilizer and food. The system produces no waste. It consumes waste heat and carbon dioxide as it produces methane, hydrogen or bio-oils for use in industry and farming, owners say.
Originally built about three years ago, the facility burned down in January, which for most startup companies would have been the end. However, Michael Smith, the president, used this unfortunate event as an opportunity to redesign and improve fire safety. It took a little longer to start construction because he was formulating these ideas, but the building is on schedule and already a third of the way complete. He addressed the issue of fire safety in several ways. Originally, it relied on people to use fire extinguishers, but he changed it to an automated system that immediately alerts emergency responders and notifies Stoltze’s on-site manager. It’s being built with fire walls that keep the fire contained for up to an hour while people escape and fire suppression starts. The redesign also addressed the documentation and policies that weren’t in place before. An example is they now have a written policy on how to handle things that are hot, Brad Oen, site coordinator and manager, said.
The redesign has made the structure “simpler, more efficient, and more cost-effective to build,” Smith said.
The size of the office, laboratory and Anaerobic BioReactor were increased to make more methane. This biofuel will create electricity to power the system with enough leftover for Stoltze’s power needs.
Diane Carter, Smith’s partner, said that they have figured it will produce enough electricity to power 100 average American homes. Carter is an acupuncturist in Whitefish, but helps out with the project whenever she is needed.
The first design was the “prototype,” and now the rebuild is the “production model design,” Smith said. He relates it to a production line because his goal is to manufacture these in Columbia Falls as a kit and ship them around the world to be assembled on-site. It had to be modular and be easy to ship on short notice. The manufacturing will all be completed by Acutech Works, a custom metal fabrication and welding shop in Columbia Falls. AquaCulture Technologies would still operate the system at the potential sites in Canada or Hawaii. Wherever they look for businesses to partner with, it has to be an advantageous location for AACT. Oen described it as a symbiotic relationship with Stoltze wherein the system needs biomas to run and the lumber mill needs electricity. The mill produces waste wood that doesn’t have a use besides sitting in the sun and composting. AACT tells potential customers “we can give that biomass value and turn it into profit for us and for you.”
They are in non-disclosure agreements with these potentials. But they did share that some of them are indigenous communities in Canada and Alaska, where they are surrounded by forests and have to truck in all their fuel and food. Smith said that the system would “give them more control over their destiny.” They could grow healthier organic food in a climate-controlled greenhouse year-round and a healthier diet would lower their healthcare costs as well, he claimed.
Smith used to work in a high-tech industry in the Silicon Valley of California. He also saw the problems firsthand while living in Canada. He realized he wanted to stop addressing the symptoms and start solving the cause.
“That’s kind of exciting,” Oen said.
The company has gone from nothing, just a few months ago, through a redesign that will make its goal more attainable.
“It says a lot about Michael and the company,” Oen said.
The company has “resiliency” and it has turned “a rubble pile into a positive thing,” Oen said.