Special visitors are becoming commonplace for the small White County town of Reynolds. Pelted with publicity last year once dubbed Biotown USA by the new Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Reynolds has been in the spotlight ever since.
It happened again this week as Indiana Ag Director Andy Miller and USDA Undersecretary Thomas Dorr visited Reynolds. This time Miller announced that the second and third phases of Biotown would start becoming reality before the end of this year. Groundbreaking for 'Technology Suite' is set for November '06.
The suite will house three complimentary systems designed to produce electricity to power the town and gas to heat it. The systems include an anaerobic digester, gasifier and fast pyrolysis system. In layman's terms, this closed-loop system will turn hog manure, municipal waste and corn stover into electricity, biodisel, thermal energy and even crop inputs, especially fertilizer.
Rose Energy Discover, a commercial firm, will become managing investor for the technology. Rose Energy is a private company. Miller says they chose to step forward and become involved to help demonstrate that this process can work.
Meanwhile, grumbling spreading through the area says that despite all the famous visitors and publicity, alternative energy fuels are not yet readily available in Reynolds. A gas station is set to reopen soon to provide E85 fuel.