The Western Colorado Carbon Neutral Bioenergy Consortium (WCCNBC)
Colorado State University has been conducting agricultural research in western Colorado for nearly 86 years. The overall purpose of agricultural research is to promote the profitability of agriculture, enhance the environment, and create sustainability for agriculture and society.
WCRC is comprised of two research centers on the Western Slope: Fruita and Orchard Mesa at Grand Junction.
Colorado Mountain College
Colorado Mountain College's West Garfield Campus, EnCana Academic Center, serves local communities from New Castle to Parachute, Colorado. The campus boasts a 300-seat auditorium, state-of-the-art science and computer labs, art and ceramics studios, and "Smart" classrooms with top-notch technology. The Williams Technology Wing houses the Integrated Technologies Programs including Chemistry, Physics, Process Technology, Instrumentation, and Solar Energy.
The CMC Process Technology and Science department will conduct research on ethanol and butanol biofuel production utilizing a variety of feedstocks grown by Colorado State University and Flux Farm Foundation. The Educational opportunities derived from the production of biofuels and subsequent development of a binary fractional distillation unit is the primary reason for CMC's involvement with the WCCNBC.
Colorado Mountain College's West Garfield Campus, EnCana Academic Center, serves local communities from New Castle to Parachute, Colorado. The campus boasts a 300-seat auditorium, state-of-the-art science and computer labs, art and ceramics studios, and "Smart" classrooms with top-notch technology. The Williams Technology Wing houses the Integrated Technologies Programs including Chemistry, Physics, Process Technology, Instrumentation, and Solar Energy.
The CMC Process Technology and Science department will conduct research on ethanol and butanol biofuel production utilizing a variety of feedstocks grown by Colorado State University and Flux Farm Foundation. The Educational opportunities derived from the production of biofuels and subsequent development of a binary fractional distillation unit is the primary reason for CMC's involvement with the WCCNBC.
Flux Farm Foundation:
Flux Farm is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, independent research and education foundation located in Carbondale, Colorado. Flux Farm is driven by the curiosity of what to do with largely unprofitable arid ranchland in the Interior West, and we work to bring sensible renewable energy development and carbon sequestration technologies to landowners in the region.
Flux Farm is currently managing several grants from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to conduct research on biochar, educate landowners on the prospect of bioenergy, and facilitate the development of micro-hydroelectric power generation on ranches and farms in western Colorado.
Flux Farm is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, independent research and education foundation located in Carbondale, Colorado. Flux Farm is driven by the curiosity of what to do with largely unprofitable arid ranchland in the Interior West, and we work to bring sensible renewable energy development and carbon sequestration technologies to landowners in the region.
Flux Farm is currently managing several grants from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to conduct research on biochar, educate landowners on the prospect of bioenergy, and facilitate the development of micro-hydroelectric power generation on ranches and farms in western Colorado.
Project Partners
The Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) is a San Francisco Bay Area scientific partnership led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and includes the Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), the University of California (UC) campuses of Berkeley and Davis, the Carnegie Institution for Science, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). JBEI's primary scientific mission is to advance the development of the next generation of biofuels - liquid fuels derived from the solar energy stored in plant biomass. JBEI is one of three U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs).
Working collaboratively with our clients and teammates, we provide innovative solutions and technically creative staff with an entrepreneurial spirit to problems of national and international significance. We are always seeking fresh and effective ways to develop ideas, prove them, and create successful finished products and best-fit solutions for our clients.
Ceres develops & markets low-carbon, non-food grasses for advanced biofuels and biopower. Our energy crops can provide more fuel or electricity, new opportunities for growers and a cleaner environment for us all.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture's Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy (ACRE) Program works to promote the investigation and development of agriculture energy-related projects that benefit Colorado's agriculture industry. The ACRE program provides funding to complete feasibility studies, project development, and scientific research in renewable energy technologies including biofuels development, biomass conversion, micro-hydroelectricity, and wind and solar energy. The WCCNBC is currently receiving funds from the ACRE program to complete the groups first study - “Evaluation of Perennial Plant Species and Production Inputs for Sustainable Biomass and Bioenergy Production in Western Colorado”
The United State Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service's Forage and Range Research Laboratory (FRRL) in Logan, Utah is supporting the consortium with biomass crop selection. The FRRL is recognized as the international center of excellence for integrated research in breeding, genomics, and ecological applications of perennial plants for dry temperate environments.
The efforts of The WCCNBC fit nicely with other regional efforts to develop renewable energy in the region including The Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative (GNECI), a regional collaboration of local and state governments, non-profits and clean energy businesses that have joined forces to build a clean energy economy. Given that The GNECI emphasizes the implementation of solar technologies and improvements to energy efficiency, the WCCNBC will help bring clarity to the regional opportunities that exist for bioenergy and carbon sequestration through applied research, education, and demonstration.
One of Extension’s most urgent needs is to learn about clean energy so that we can educate and promote the information to communities throughout the state—and possibly the Western U.S. With offices in 59 of 64 counties in Colorado, and a reputation for delivering unbiased, research-based information, Extension Agents are in a prime position to be the educators of the public.
Colorado State University's Clean Energy Strategic Initiative Team (CESIT) is a program within Extension that trains agents about the basics of wind, solar, biomass/biofuels, geothermal/hydropower, energy efficiency and community development as it relates to renewables. With even an elementary understanding, agents can teach clean energy solutions and value-added opportunities for homeowners, farmers, ranchers and businesses.
The WCCNBC is working with CESIT to provide Extension Agents with regionally pertinent information on bioenergy and biofuels.
Colorado State University's Clean Energy Strategic Initiative Team (CESIT) is a program within Extension that trains agents about the basics of wind, solar, biomass/biofuels, geothermal/hydropower, energy efficiency and community development as it relates to renewables. With even an elementary understanding, agents can teach clean energy solutions and value-added opportunities for homeowners, farmers, ranchers and businesses.
The WCCNBC is working with CESIT to provide Extension Agents with regionally pertinent information on bioenergy and biofuels.
Since 1967, Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) has helped private landowners preserve over 30,000 acres of working family ranches, scenic viewsheds, riparian and wildlife habitat, and recreational areas in the Roaring Fork and upper Colorado River watersheds. As the oldest land trust in Colorado, AVLT is a widely known and trusted community based non-profit organization serving the greater Roaring Fork Valley and Colorado River Valley west of Glenwood Springs, which includes parts of Pitkin, Garfield, Eagle, Mesa and Gunnison Counties.
AVLT endorses the efforts of the WCCNBC, and will work to educate landowners about the prospect of growing bioenergy crops on conserved ranches and farms in western Colorado as the project progresses.
AVLT endorses the efforts of the WCCNBC, and will work to educate landowners about the prospect of growing bioenergy crops on conserved ranches and farms in western Colorado as the project progresses.
