Over 50 people attended the Chip Energy ground breaking ceremony for its new biomass recycling and pelletizing facility in Goodfield, IL. This was not a typical ground breaking event -- a large portion of the building was already in place to demonstrate the project’s unique construction method of using shipping containers for the primary structure.
Attendees gathered around to hear from Chip Energy president Paul Wever, IDCEO assistant director Dan Seals, and Woodford County Board chairman Stan Glazier. Speakers praised the project, which will create jobs, produce renewable energy, and create infrastructure to give value to what is currently considered waste.
Wever led tour groups through the facility, explaining how the building is arranged vertically to operate with a high degree of efficiency on a small plot of land. With 26 40-ft. tall silos, and another 2,300 cu. yds. of bulk storage all under one roof, the facility can hold enough material to buffer several weeks’ worth of operation.
On display were samples of several biomass fuel sources that the facility can utilize, including wood chips, corn stover, miscanthus, switchgrass, cherry pits, and rice husks. There were also samples of processed fuel which the facility will produce, including wood pellets and blended biomass briquettes. Lunch was cooked using the Stovepipe Stove, a Chip Energy product that uses gasification to burn wood pellets with no smoke and low emissions.
With the construction going full-steam, Chip Energy is looking forward to expanding its recycling program, creating jobs and bringing recognition to the local community.
