A ribbon is cut at the introduction of the new bioenergy facility at Lockheed Martin in Owego, N.Y. Pictured, from left, are Rod Makoske, senior vice president of Corporate Engineering, Technology, and Operations; Frank Armijo, vice president of Lockheed Martin Energy; Charlie Thannhaeuser, executive chairman and founder of Concord Blue; Leo Mackay, Jr., senior vice president of Internal Audit, Ethics and Sustainability for Lockheed Martin; and Richard Edwards, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control.
On Tuesday, Lockheed Martin opened a new bioenergy facility during a ribbon cutting ceremony at their Owego, N.Y. facility. This new technology, which is the first of its kind, according to Frank Armijo, vice president of Lockheed Martin Energy, has the capability to take waste and create electricity.
At a ceremony to introduce the technology on Tuesday, there were representatives in attendance from around the world, to include locations in Mexico and Africa. Armijo stated that the technology is gaining interest due to its ability to take ordinary waste, and then convert it to clean energy.
Leo Mackay, Jr., senior vice president of Audit, Ethics, and Sustainability for Lockheed Martin, stated that this technology is meeting the challenges of the 21st century.
“We’re proud to be a part of that,” said Mackay.
On Tuesday, Lockheed Martin introduced their new bioenergy facility (pictured) during a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Owego, N.Y. facility.
The system, which is now completing commissioning, uses Concord Blue’s advanced technology that will convert waste into clean, renewable energy. Concord Blue, who is partnering with Lockheed Martin on this venture, is based out of Europe and will be providing the reformer for this operational system.
The two companies, Lockheed and Concord Blue, are in the process of building a system in Herten, Germany that will provide 5,000 homes and businesses with a clean, renewable energy source.
The combined effort between Lockheed Martin and Concord Blue will soon begin phase two of the new power generation facility that will transform waste into energy. Under phase two, Concord Blue has awarded Lockheed Martin Energy a $43 million contract to proceed with all engineering, procurement and construction of the 5 megawatt plant with a planned completion date in 2017.
At Lockheed Martin, a $10 million power generation facility was put in place that will provide electricity at the Owego facility, where approximately 2,600 employees are assigned.
During Tuesday’s ceremony and unveiling, Armijo stated, “At our bioenergy facility in Owego, we’re able to reduce our own energy costs while also demonstrating the groundbreaking capability of our technology to potential users.”
Prior to the ribbon cutting, Lockheed Martin successfully demonstrated the end-to-end capability of the new system. The demonstration validated its ability to convert waste material into energy for the company’s Owego operations, where it designs and builds space-flight hardware, military helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
How It Works
This self-sustaining system can transform waste into electricity through a process called advanced gasification. There are four key steps in the process:
Waste Collection: Wood-waste, municipal solid waste, industrial waste and more can be collected and used as input. The Owego facility will initially use wood-waste, with plans to transition to municipal, commercial or industrial waste to create its power in the future.
Waste Conditioning: Metal, glass and other materials are removed, and the waste is dried to specification.
Gas Creation: Proprietary heat carrier spheres are heated and mixed in with the organic waste. Once a certain temperature is reached, the solid waste turns into gas, which then travels to a reforming vessel where the gas is turned into synthesis gas (syngas).
Power Generation: The syngas is then used to fuel a combustion engine that produces electricity. Alternatively, the syngas can also be used to produce hydrogen and biofuels.
Unlike incineration, the process is oxygen-free and flame-free, which means no harmful byproducts are produced, emissions are limited and waste going to landfills is greatly reduced.
As for the advancement of this technology, Armijo stated that this program has a potential for growth. “This has the potential to provoke change in the world,” said Armijo.
He added that the technology is a major milestone for Lockheed Martin, and that they pushed the boundaries of engineering and manufacturing.
Rick Edwards, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, stated, “People pay to dump their garbage. We can build a plant, we can burn their garbage and get energy.”
As for job creation relative to this newfound technology, Armijo stated that it would depend on the program’s growth.
“This will solve a world problem, and programs being developed, like this one, will help,” Armijo added.
For additional information, visit www.lockheedmartin.com/energy.
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