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Economic alliance funds Pennycress research
Mac Olsen
for South Peace News
The Lesser Slave Lake Economic Alliance has invested $29,000 in Stan Peacock’s Pennycress research initiative, which could one day become an additive for biodiesel fuel.
Greg Radstaak, the director of Alberta Finance and Enterprise office in High Prairie, says the LSLEA has money to fund various initiatives in the Lesser Slave Lake region each year.
“This is one the board decided was worth funding,” says Radstaak. “It’s an interesting project … and seems to have some promise based on the year one results.”
Peacock made a presentation to the board in the winter of 2008-09 and also submitted an application to the Alberta Special Crops Branch.
“The board reviewed them and decided to fund the initiative,” he says.
Alvin Billings, the LSLEA chairperson, says it’s worth researching Pennycress because it has the potential to be a major player in marginal land cropping.
“That’s a crop that can be grown on marginal land with very cheap inputs,” says Billings.
Pennycress won’t take away food stocks for human consumption, he adds.
Peacock also received $29,000 from the Peace Region Economic Development Alliance in the form of land, equipment, labour, while the Special Crops Branch has provided specialists to do the research.
The Olds College School of Innovation is also involved with the research.
The total value of the project is $109,000 for the first year.
Peacock is applying for funding with other organizations for the second and third years of the project.
The Pennycress research is part of Peacock’s plan to build a biodiesel fuel plant near High Prairie or somewhere in the region. Peacock has sought federal funding and lobbied Fort McMurray - Athabasca MP Brian Jean earlier in 2009.
During the 2009 growing season, Peacock planted Pennycress on some of his land north of High Prairie and several other locations in the region, to determine if it could grow in adverse weather and soil conditions.
A Pennycress-derived biodiesel fuel potentially could serve a new market.
The provincial government has implemented the Renewable Fuel Standard, mandating a five per cent renewable content in gasoline and two per cent in diesel fuel effective July 1, 2010. It is supposed to create a demand for 125 million litres of biodiesel fuel in Alberta annually.
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