Puro.earth listed
Quantity
119 361
CORC Price
185 €
Production Timeline
Q2 2024-Q2 2034
About the project
VGrid is seeking $9 million in pre-CORC sales to expand its existing site in Lost Hills, California. The expanded site will include thirty additional 'BIOSERVER' units converting waste pistachio shells into clean electricity, biochar, and bio-liquids. Once fully operational, the site will generate up to 12,500 CORCs annually and 13,500 MWh of clean and sustainable electricity.
The Lost Hills site is strategically located at the feedstock source, minimizing transportation-related costs and emissions. Currently, two of VGrid's BIOSERVERS are operational at this site. The first unit was installed in September 2022, and the second in July 2023. In addition to this new facility, VGrid has already established successful production sites in Visalia and Camarillo, California. These existing sites, operational since 2019, have demonstrated the effectiveness and reliability of VGrid's BIOSERVER technology and the overall process.
Currently, VGrid's BIOSERVER technology boasts an impressive 2.94 CORCs per ton of biochar, resulting in part from VGrid's biochar having a carbon purity of over 90%. This rate, however, is based on VGrid's current operations in Visalia, California, which requires the pistachio shells to be transported from Lost Hills, California. The current 2.94 CORC rate is net of these GHG transport emissions. With the new/expanded Lost Hills site, the pistachio shells will be moved less than one mile. The biochar will be processed and packaged on-site and shipped directly to customers without needing to be transported back to VGrid's headquarters in Camarillo. As a result, transport emissions are virtually eliminated, potentially raising the CORC rate for this site significantly HIGHER than 2.94.
In addition to reducing transport emissions, VGrid's mobile and modular BIOSERVERS can process any biomass feedstock. Additionally, the BIOSERVERS can be connected into arrays, enabling VGrid to appropriately size future sites according to the amount of local feedstock and local demand for biochar. Finally, VGrid's ability to build, deploy, and commission a new site in under six months is a significant advantage.
VGrid's vision is to create a global network of local production sites where local waste is processed into clean electricity and valuable co-products, which are then sold into the local markets, enhancing the health and productivity of local soils. This approach, capable of delivering gigaton-level carbon removal, will enable the future 'carbon-negative' circular economy on a local level, worldwide.
Key Project Data
- Type of projectExpansion of existing facility or site
- Carbon removal methodologyBiochar
- Durability of carbon removal in years (number)100
- Co-benefits- Diverting 22,500 tons of landfill-bound waste annually.
- Creating clean and sustainable energy (fossil fuel offset). Each BIOSERVER net produces (after internal consumption) 100 kWh of electricity per hour. The entire site will produce 13,500 MWh of clean electricity annually.
- Biochar retains water in soil, helping mitigate drought impacts.
- Biochar holds nutrients in soil for slow release, helping to reduce the use of chemical and fossil-fuel based fertilizers.
- Biochar enhances soil microbiology, naturally improving soil productivity (improved crop yields to address global hunger).
- Biochar is used as a filtration media, capturing pollutants in stormwater run-off and remediating polluted sites (including PFAS).
- Local production supports rural and economically disadvantaged areas, including indigenous populations. - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Production facility countryUnited States
- Site visits are possibleYes
- Certifications or assessments- This project uses the same BIOSERVER technology as VGrid's two existing sites already certified by Puro.Earth (2.94 CORCS per ton of biochar).
- VGrid's BIOSERVER is approved for grid-connection by Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison.
- VGrid's biochar is certified by the International Biochar Initiative (IBI), OMRI Listed for organic uses, and USDA certified as 100% bio-based.
- VGrid's biochar and bio-liquids have improved yields in several crop trials, including strawberry, celery, broccoli, pepper, tomato, and cannabis. - Project start date01/11/2023
- Expected certification and issuance date31/12/2023
- Annual carbon removal capacity in tCO2e (number)12500
- AdditionalityVGrid requires $9 million (capex only) to build 30 BIOSERVERS for the Lost Hills, California site expansion. This project will not proceed unless a pre-CORC sale is made. Carbon finance is vital to both the success of VGrid’s current operations and its future expansion. Revenue generated from CORCs will directly support the company’s ability to scale production, attract new investment and increase its biochar sales, all of which will ultimately help VGrid sequester more carbon in the ground.
Compared to large, centralized biochar production with high capex requirements and long permitting and commissioning timelines, VGrid can deploy a production site with ten BIOSERVERs in roughly five months. Due to the massive potential to scale this model, VGrid is requesting a premium CORC price. - Implementation of this project is subject to receiving funding (equity or debt)Yes
- Implementation of this project is subject to permits (building, environmental, etc.)Yes
- Implementation of this project is subject to reaching minimum pre-CORC commitmentsNo
- The above conditions are expected to be fulfilled on this date01/10/2023
- Link to high resolution images/media assets
About the supplier
V-Grid Energy Systems
California-based VGrid Energy Systems is developing a distributed bioenergy network that reduces our dependence on fossil fuels while removing CO2 from the atmosphere. The company manufactures a mobile BIOSERVER™ that converts agricultural and forestry waste into electricity, bio-liquids, and biochar. VGrid's clean and sustainable electricity can be grid-connected or used locally on demand. The biochar and bio-liquids are incorporated into various carbon-negative products that provide additional benefits, including rebuilding drought-stricken soils, increasing crop yields, reducing chemical fertilization, capturing odors and contaminants, and improving animal health. Furthermore, biochar stabilizes and sequesters carbon from the waste biomass for over 1,000 years, helping to reverse climate change.
More projects by SupplierIn addition to sequestering carbon, biochar addresses other critical environmental issues. With its high porosity and large surface area, VGrid's biochar improves water retention and microbial activity in soil, mitigating the impact of drought and naturally promoting the long term health and productivity of decimated soils. Biochar is also a natural filtration media that captures contaminants in stormwater runoff, solid waste leachate, and other sources of pollution. Additionally, biochar enhances the quality of compost while at the same time accelerating the composting process and reducing GHG emissions. VGrid's biochar is OMRI Listed as an organic input material, USDA certified as 100% bio-based, and IBI certified meeting the most stringent global standards for toxins, dioxins, and heavy metals.
Project related documents
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