BREAKING NEWS: OPEN LETTER TO VI LEGISLATORS CONCERNING TIBBAR ENERGIES REQUEST FOR LAND LEASE. A $15,00,000.00 GERS investment loan to Tibbar was recently rejected by the GERS board. November 22, 2014 Susan M. Parten, P. E. Subject: Open Letter to Legislators of the 30th Legislature concerning Tibbar Energy LLC request for approval a land lease from the VI Department of Agriculture Dear Senators, I understand that Tibbar Energy LLC is requesting your approval next month of a lease of land from the VI Department of Agriculture. A year or so ago the Tibbar Energy “crops to energy” proposal was appropriately dubbed Feed the Beast 2 (with Feed the Beast 1 referring to Alpine Energy Groups now dead proposal). This proposal involves leasing land to grow Giant King Grass to feed the beast. Lets look at how much energy that Giant King Grass might theoretically produce. Based on operating history / data for U.S. waste-to-energy projects (projects built by companies with actual experience in the industry), and information from the Giant King Grass marketing info. (VIASPACE)), each dry ton of Giant King Grass grown should be able to produce between 0.03 and 0.04 Megawatts of power. The VIASPACE website information suggests that in one years time, 400 acres should be able to produce 18,000 dry tons of Giant King Grass. Doing the math on energy production from that, 18,000 dry tons per year would only be enough to power a plant rated at between 1 and 2 Megawatts. Keep in mind that this is based on marketing information, so be assured these are optimal conditions and figures. Production of 6 to 8 Megawatts of power would require steady production from 2000 acres of Giant Kind Grass. Experts have however cautioned against such assumptions due to inevitable hurricanes and other disruptions to achieving those efficiencies. Comparing that potential energy production from biomass with ground-mounted solar arrays, at about 1 Megawatt per 5 acres for such PV arrays, based on actual solar projects, just 100 acres of PV array would produce about 20 Megawatts of power. If our local power utility continue carrying out the power grid modernization and stabilization steps that experts have long been urging them to do along with energy storage systems, our local power costs would come down steeply, not to mention the favorable environmental benefits of producing clean energy. At current power costs in the VI, building-mounted solar arrays have a payback period of only about 3 to 4 years. Producing biofuel cost-effectively, even using the best of technologies and optimal biological / floral species, requires thousands of acres. Island settings like the USVI simply dont have the land mass to do that and produce locally grown foods so that food costs can come down. Further a local ecologist and native plant expert – Dr. Gary Ray – has provided the attached summarizing information about giant king grass with cautionary notes I hope all of you will take to heart. The people of the Virgin Islands also deserve to see a listing of Tibbar Energys, or Tibbar Construction Services, Inc.s, already built energy projects, along with backgrounds of all those involved in this project. I feel certain that those government retirees and future retirees who stay informed and are concerned about their retirement funds investments were glad the GERS opted in September not to proceed with a loan to this project. Please do your part on behalf of the VI public in conducting serious and credible vetting of potential contractors, projects and concepts. Best regards, Susan Parten, P.E.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 02:45:56 +0000
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