Genera Wins 2013 International Award for Sustainable Feedstock Innovations

Award Honors Genera’s Integrated Solution for Biomass Supply & Logistics

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Vonore, TN, March 15, 2013 – Genera Energy Inc. (Genera) has won the 2013 Sustainable Biofuels Award in the Sustainable Feedstock Innovation category at the World Biofuels Markets 2013 Congress and Exhibition, the largest international gathering of its kind, held this year in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The award recognizes outstanding achievement for a project that displays “innovation to enhance sustainability in feedstock supply.” Genera’s integrated solution covers the full biomass system from the farm to the biorefinery including: energy crop selection, land acquisition, production, harvest, collection and logistics.

Over the last six years, Genera, working with the University of Tennessee, has established the largest and most comprehensive program in the United States for purpose-grown energy crops, contracting with more than 60 farmers to produce more than 2,000 hectares (5,100 acres) of switchgrass. With a focus on sustainability, farms were carefully selected to represent a wide cross section of what a full-scale commercial energy crop supply region, or bioshed, would look like. Enhancing Genera’s contributions to addressing the sustainability and scalability of biomass supply, Genera evaluated more than 1,000 acres of improved switchgrass varieties in addition to a wide range of other potential energy crops. Throughout the development of its integrated system, Genera has tested more than 30 separate energy crop and logistic system alternatives. Genera has identified the optimum energy crop supply chain—a system that is cost efficient and meets robust sustainability performance criteria. Genera’s solution is not just about successfully growing energy crops. It focuses on managing an integrated commercial supply chain to reliably supply a biorefinery with cost competitive, uniform, industrial biomass feedstock.

“It is an honor to receive the 2013 Sustainable Biofuels Award,” said Kelly Tiller, CEO of Genera. “Building a bulletproof biomass supply chain system requires unique skills and experience. We were lucky to have forward-looking partners at the University of Tennessee and in the State capital. They all contributed to our success here today and we are very grateful to them.”

“Taking the time to celebrate the innovation and invention in this industry is really the heart of these Awards,” commented Nadim Chaudhry, Chief Executive Officer of Green Power Conferences, organizer of both the awards and the conference. “Our industry has such outstanding leaders, innovative technology and groundbreaking partnerships happening all the time, every year the nominations increase and the judges find it more difficult to choose a winner.”

“We want to recognize the important contributions of our community and industry partners, particularly the pioneering farmers, because it is a team that brought this effort to full bloom,” said Sam Jackson, Vice President of Feedstock Development and Supply for Genera. “Successfully developing a biomass supply system that is sustainable, cost competitive and ready to scale today enables rapid commercialization of biomass production while creating new economic opportunities for rural communities.”

Building on the success of the past six years, Genera continues to advance the fully integrated lignocellulosic biorefinery model and deliver the benefits of clean, domestic, renewable fuels in a way that balances the needs of both the agricultural sector and the energy sector.

 

MORE ABOUT GENERA’S INTEGRATED FEEDSTOCK SOLUTION

Highlights from Genera’s innovative and award winning biomass feedstock program include:

  • Sixty-one different farms spread across a 50-mile region exposed Genera to a true cross section of real-world production conditions, at scale.
  • A variety of cropping history, weed pressure, soil productivity and other factors were all evaluated and a broad representation of those factors were used in selecting the participating farms.
  • Genera’s focus on native perennial grasses that come back year after year, along with extensive use of no-till planting and low input production techniques and management all contribute to the environmental sustainability of the crop and reduce the carbon footprint.
  • Genera and its partners at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have conducted a number of research trials associated with nutrient management, weed control, harvest timing, continuous monitoring of plant chemical composition, and impacts of bioenergy crop production on water quality and wildlife habitat.
  • Several other studies were conducted in the production region indicating the potential to co-manage the crop to achieve multiple benefits, including biomass feedstock, cattle forage and wildlife habitat value.
  • Genera has worked with all major equipment manufacturers in advancing harvesting and logistical technologies in biomass production. More efficient mowers, higher density balers, and safer and efficient storage and transport practices have all been tested and/or developed. At least six proprietary pieces of equipment were trialed in Genera’s production fields before operating anywhere else.

Green Power Conferences is the market leader in renewable energy conferences. Since 2003, over 15,000 delegates have attended more than 300 conferences, exhibitions, workshops and training courses providing strategic business intelligence to the renewable energy and sustainability industries. Green Power’s expertise lies in producing high quality, interactive events that provide ample networking opportunities for delegates, sponsors and partners. More information and a full list of current conferences are available at www.greenpowerconferences.com.

Genera Energy Inc. provides a robust and integrated biomass supply and bioenergy conversion solution for the advanced biofuels, biopower, and biochemicals industries. Genera has developed strategic partnerships up and down the biomass value chain that improve efficiency and quality, reduce costs, and enhance the scalability of biomass supply. Based in Vonore, Tennessee, Genera is the exclusive operator of the Biomass Innovation Park RD&D campus where it conducts industry leading research and development in the areas of biomass supply chain improvement, biomass handling and logistics, pre-processing systems, and integrated biorefinery project development. For more information, visit www.generainc.com.

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