BAINBRIDGE – Someday Rob Reiber hopes to see a biodiesel plant in every town in Chenango County.
For now, the Binghamton native is content with running the one he and his wife Sue recently opened on Scott Street in the Village of Bainbridge.
“Hopefully this leads to one in every town – and we can do that,” said Reiber, who calls his operation Creative Energy Group LLC. “It’s local fuel for local people.”
Creative Energy opened June 10, and is currently processing virgin soy bean oil into 100 percent and 99.9 percent biodiesel. The company declined to say how much they produced daily or weekly, due to competitive reasons.
The concept driving Creative Energy – which is also its biggest challenge – is creating a county-wide alternative energy cooperative, Reiber and plant manager Giff Foster say, in which local farmers would grow fuel crops on marginal lands and exchange them for low cost fuel produced at the plant.
“We figure if they’ll grow the crop, than we’ll turn it into low-cost fuel for them,” Reiber said.
Locally, however, there is no equipment that can crush the crops into unrefined oil, which is what Creative Energy needs to make the more affordable biodiesel.
“That’s our biggest bottleneck,” said Foster, a South Plymouth Farmer who also processes biodiesel at his home.
Relying on shipped-in soybean oil – at a cost over $3.40 per gallon – Reiber and Foster say business hasn’t been slow. The pair claim they’ve been steadily processing batches four days a week to meet the demand, selling their bio-diesel at a cost of $4 per gallon.
John Hendricks, one of Creative Energy’s customers, doesn’t mind paying the extra price – he’s even consulting with Creative Energy to start his own operation.
“It’s a natural resource, a renewable resource,” said Hendricks, a Unadilla resident who buys around 10 gallons of bio-diesel in Bainbridge every week to run his tractor. “And you’re not peppering fuel companies pockets.”
The average price for diesel fuel in New York state is currently $3.069 per gallon. It’s 2.982 in Binghamton. Foster admits that its hard to get diesel consumers to buy their product at $4 per gallon, but his response is; “Is it really cheaper?”
He points to continued pollution nation and worldwide, and the war in Iraq – two results of our oil dependency, he believes.
“This oil comes from the American Farmer,” Foster said. “I know where I want to put my money.”
Keeping money in the local economy and cutting back on waste and pollution are the major selling points of alternative energy, the Creative Energy reps say.
“It’s all organic, non-toxic – that’s the beauty of it,” said Foster. “There is nothing wasted in this. Everything can be used.”
Creative Energy makes soap and a degreaser with the non-toxic bi-products.
“We’re not in this for the money, we’re in it to be environmentally conscious,” said Reiber. “They (oil companies) are profit driven. We’re environmentally driven.”
Reiber hopes federal and state policy will examine bio-diesel as another means of meeting the nation’s goals to run on more alternative energy supplies – whether it’s through tax breaks, subsidies or consumer credits and other incentives – rather than putting all the emphasis on ethanol (E-85).
“We need every break we can get,” said Reiber.
Creative Energy is planning to work out a deal with the Chenango County Industrial Development Agency that would allow the plant to gain access to a railroad spur, a move that would lessen the company’s shipping costs.
Also, Reiber believes his plant will be able to tap into the recreational boating market.
“I think Marinas will go for this in a big way,” he said. “If there’s a spill you don’t have to worry about it.”
The plant is located on 5-7 Scott Street in Bainbridge at the old Hansmann’s Mills site. All diesel consumers can use Creative Energy’s product, Reiber said, which has been certified by all local, state and federal authorities. Contact the plant at 821-2848.