Ohio has a lot of it, and now, one company has a breakthrough way of using it. Technology Management Inc., based in Cleveland, Ohio, says it’s committed to “creating clean technology solutions for the emerging energy shortfalls of the 21st century.” That commitment has paid off as TMI offers a first in fuel cell systems technology worldwide, using Ohio’s largest cash crop to generate electricity.

Technology Management, Inc. (TMI)  has successfully demonstrated the world’s first kilowatt-scale solid oxide fuel cell system that generates electricity using vegetable oil from soybeans.

“We believe this is the first time a complete farm scale fuel cell system has ever been shown to convert unblended soybean oil into renewable electricity outside the laboratory,” said Benson Lee, president and CEO of Technology Management, Inc.

The project received contributions from the USDA Biomass Initiative Program, the Ohio Soybean Council and Ohio’s Third Frontier Project.

The new fuel system technology is a touted success born out of TMI’s partnership with Ohio State University’s Biomass to Energy Program to create localized energy and marketable biofuels from examining the conversion of various biomass waste and organic matter.