The University of Minnesota Renewable Energy Research and Demonstration Center at Morris is a collaborative project between the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC), the University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM), and the University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment (IREE) with two primary objectives: 1) provide a model for rural communities and agricultural producers to integrate renewable energy systems into their economies, and 2) establish systems research that provides information to stimulate the renewable energy industry. 

The project currently focuses on four community scale renewable energy research and demonstration systems. 

The first is a hybrid wind energy system located at the WCROC.  A 1.65 MW wind turbine was completed March 2005.  This system has opened the possibility of developing a globally unique and important wind to hydrogen demonstration and research platform with leveraged funds from the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources.  This is phase one of a three phase plan to demonstrate and conduct vital research in the areas of stored wind energy with hydrogen, fuel mixing, and value added products such as producing fertilizer from wind energy.  Partners in this project include the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources, the Upper Midwest Hydrogen Initiative and member companies, Windustry, and the National Renewable Energy Lab.

 

The second project is a biomass district heating and cooling system at the UMM.  The Morris campus 2004 bonding bill has received funding to construct a $6 million biomass gasification demonstration/research system. The plant scale project will provide up to 80 % of the campus heating and cooling needs.  In additional to being a model for commercial application of biomass in heating and cooling systems, this facility would also enable U of MN research to address important collection, processing, and storage issues, enable improved permitting, establish Best Management Practices to insure environmental sustainability of biomass systems, enable further development of the synthesis gas stream, and provide valuable information on the economic impact of using biofuels on rural economies.  The Agricultural Utilization and Research Institute (AURI), and MN Corn Growers are partners in this project.

The third system in this project is facilitating the development of a Community Anaerobic Digester System in the Morris area.  This unique system proposes to produce methane at nearby livestock farms and either pipe or truck the methane into Morris for use at the local ethanol plant and/or the industrial park.  This system is currently undergoing a feasibility study in partnership with the MN Soybean Research and Promotion Council, the MN Corn Research and Promotion Council, AURI and the Center for Producer Owned Energy, the City of Morris, Riverview and West River Dairy, and the University of Minnesota IREE.

The fourth system is a Renewable Energy Research and Education Wing to the WCROC Office Building.  This addition will feature sustainable building design, renewable energy building technologies, and will also serve as a research and demonstration platform.  The expansion is listed in the U of MN 2006 Capital Request to the MN Legislature.

The systems in development at the University of Minnesota Renewable Energy Research and Demonstration Center exemplify the application of research-based knowledge utilizing local and state resources and innovative partnerships to solve real life issues in energy, the environment, and rural development.