CleanTech Biofuels to produce renewable power


NFPA 70b Training - Electrical Maintenance

Our customized live online or in‑person group training can be delivered to your staff at your location.

  • Live Online
  • 12 hours Instructor-led
  • Group Training Available
Regular Price:
$699
Coupon Price:
$599
Reserve Your Seat Today
CleanTech Biofuels, Inc. intends to use its proprietary technology at a commercial site in Chicago, Illinois to produce cellulosic biomass as solid fuel for the production of electricity.

Beginning commercial production of biomass for electricity will allow CleanTech to develop significant revenue more quickly than originally anticipated.

Tests on the feasibility of using the biomass from CleanTech's processes for electricity production indicated that the energy value (or Btu value) is approximately 75 percent that of coal. Testing also indicates that the biomass has substantially less pollutants in emissions from combustion than other refuse derived fuels and coal.

CleanTech believes that this approach will dramatically lower the cost of its first commercial ethanol plant. By using the infrastructure it constructs for electricity production to support cellulosic ethanol production at the same site in the future, CleanTech believes that it will be able to incrementally increase the amount of MSW processed at the site daily to support both operations.

"We look at the application of biomass co-fired with coal as the low hanging fruit that can be done commercially right now," said Ed Hennessey, CleanTech CEO. "Coal prices have increased dramatically in recent years and that has increased the value of the energy content in our biomass."

Hennessey further added, "We are looking to develop a plant in Chicago using the biomass as solid fuel to produce electricity with traditional debt and bond financing to fund a significant part of the development costs. When our cellulosic ethanol conversion technology is ready for commercial implementation, we hope to use the infrastructure at the existing plant to add a cellulosic conversion plant to the same site."

Related News

Wind power making gains as competitive source of electricity

Canada Wind Energy Costs are plunging as renewable energy auctions, CfD contracts, and efficient turbines…
View more

Southern California Edison Faces Lawsuits Over Role in California Wildfires

SCE Wildfire Lawsuits allege utility equipment and power lines sparked deadly Los Angeles blazes; investigations,…
View more

On the road to 100 per cent renewables

US Climate Alliance 100% Renewables 2035 accelerates clean energy, electrification, and decarbonization, replacing coal and…
View more

Carbon emissions fall as electricity producers move away from coal

Global Electricity Emissions Decline highlights a 2% drop as coal power falls, while wind and…
View more

How Ukraine Unplugged from Russia and Joined Europe's Power Grid with Unprecedented Speed

Ukraine-ENTSO-E Grid Synchronization links Ukraine and Moldova to the European grid via secure interconnection, matching…
View more

A robot is killing weeds by zapping them with electricity

Electric weed-zapping farm robots enable precision agriculture, using autonomous mapping, per-plant targeting, and robotics to…
View more

Sign Up for Electricity Forum’s Newsletter

Stay informed with our FREE Newsletter — get the latest news, breakthrough technologies, and expert insights, delivered straight to your inbox.

Electricity Today T&D Magazine Subscribe for FREE

Stay informed with the latest T&D policies and technologies.
  • Timely insights from industry experts
  • Practical solutions T&D engineers
  • Free access to every issue

Download the 2026 Electrical Training Catalog

Explore 50+ live, expert-led electrical training courses –

  • Interactive
  • Flexible
  • CEU-cerified