INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Innovative energy technologies until now have been long on the promise and short on delivery, but if three small startups in Vero Beach and Fellsmere gain traction, they may not only help in our country’s search for clean energy but provide a promising step forward in our county’s effort to create jobs — green jobs.
Out in the western part of the county, two companies are seeking to create renewable biofuels for trucking and aviation using algae. And another is exploring purchasing the old Ocean Spray Cranberries’ grapefruit processing plant off Oslo Road and producing ethanol from vegetation waste in what could be Florida’s first commercial bioethanol refinery. The latter project, a joint venture between New Planet Energy and INEOS BioEnergy, at this point has the most backing after receiving a $50 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, which the company expects to match to buy the land and build a new facility most likely where the now empty Ocean Spray plant sits.
The test plant in Vero Beach could be under construction by the third quarter of this year and, when operational, would produce 8 million gallons of ethanol a year and employ about 50 people. If the plant is successful, a scaled up facility could produce as much as 32 million gallons annually and employ 150 workers.
While County Commissioner Peter O’Bryan is excited by the prospects for the future that INPB represents, he is realistic that all these companies are just starting out to see if what they have produced in the lab on a small scale can be produced on a commercially viable scale.
“The biggest problem is nobody has any of these under a full operation status, most of them have small pilot projects,” O’Bryan said. “Nobody has one ramped up to (commercial) scale.”
But green technology now strikes many as a more promising area to pursue to create jobs than its earlier efforts to work with St. Lucie and Martin counties to market themselves as the Research Coast and attract science and medical research companies.
“We are looking to attract other green technology interests,” said Helene Caseltine, the Chamber’s Economic Development Director. “The county has started marketing itself at industry trade shows. We are looking to attract other green technology interests.”
But how the three companies have come to Indian River County appears to be more a matter of luck than planning.
“I wish I could say five years ago we started focusing on (attracting green companies), but what happened really is that investors started visiting our area,” said County Commissioner Wesley Davis, whose district includes the Fellsmere projects.
In the case of Green Flight International, company president Doug Rodante was put in touch with City Manager Jason Nunemaker by Sebastian’s Ray Coniglio when the two attended a conference and Rodante said he was looking for rural land and a business-friendly environment.
Green Flight International is using land provided by Fellsmere to grow a test crop of elephant grass and energy cane, which will be used to feed algae in an effort to create a renewable diesel fuel.
Another firm, Melbourne-based PetroAlgae, came to Fellsmere in 2006 when one of its founders decided his 18-acre property there would make a good lab and algae farm.
In the past year, PetroAlgae – which employs some 35 researchers at the Fellsmere facility — has become one of the darlings of environmentally conscious politicians, and this past summer was visited by Rep. Bill Posey and Gov. Charlie Crist touting their green credentials.
“Developing new ways to meet our energy needs is important to our nation’s economic growth and Florida’s climate and business environment is a perfect fit for such research,” Congressman Posey said.
INEOS New Planet BioEnergy sought out the county a couple of years ago when commissioners put out a request for parties interested in using its garbage to create clean energy.
Particularly attractive to INPB was the Ocean Spray plant location, right next to a landfill where it can get the feedstock it needs to operate.
“I think what was special about us is we have a lot of room around the landfill for expansion,” said Commission Chairman Peter O’Bryan. “A lot of places don’t have as much land as we do.”
It was also a perfect fit for INPB business model, which envisions producing green ethanol locally for a local market.
In addition to the federal grant, the Florida Governor’s Energy Office has awarded INBP a $2.5 million grant.
The challenge facing INPB now, INPB Vice President of Operations Tex Carter said, is to leverage these funds into proving the concept.
If “the technology is viable and we will do what we say we are able to do, which is turn a waste product into a useful product,” Carter said. “If the demonstration is solid, if the technology is solid, if it doesn’t pollute, if it doesn’t do any of the bad things you don’t want it to do, then we are on our own to grow our business without government assistance.”
Startup funding for these operations is critical as they move from the theoretical to the commercially practical, but there has never been a better time to be clean energy company with an intriguing idea. The Obama Administration — which has turned its attention to jobs, jobs, jobs — has made it clear it sees the future for America in jobs that are green.
“Since this will be the first demonstration plant in the world for this technology, it is also where one of our parent companies, INEOS Bio, will be showcasing the technology internationally,” Carter said. “So we will have folks locally who will be able to work with the folks on an international level with the business community to explain the technology, present the way it works, demonstrate it and ultimately represent INEOS Bio’s interest in the licensing business.”
The Chamber’s Caseltine said the other green technology interests the county is pursuing include a solar panel manufacturer and a maker of energy efficient LED lights.
She stressed that those discussions are still exploratory, but said if they were to come, they could mean up to 500 jobs with the solar panel maker and as many as 200 jobs with the light manufacturer.
“Companies like to be around other successful companies, it’s that clustering effect,” Caseltine said. “Hopefully, once we are off and running we will attract even more attention.”
Staff Writer Debbie Carson contributed to this report.