Didion Ethanol hosted a successful Green Energy Expo last week with more than 800 attendees from around the country in attendance. The participants were treated to a plant tour and one of the biggest draws was the plants new zero water discharge system that was installed this past Spring. According to Didion’s plant manager, Adam Lemmenes, the new water system has reduced well water usage by 145,000 gallons per day.

In addition to lowering its water footprint, Didion has also reduced its energy consumption over the past few years through various energy conservation projects. In total, the various technologies have saved enough energy to power 828 homes per year. That is equivalent to taking 1,775 cars off the road, which eliminates approximately 20 million CO2 emissions per year.

However, Didion isn’t done lowering its energy usage. A new project underway, when completed, will reduce its energy consumption by another 25 percent and will be able to create 1.5 unit of ethanol power for every unit of energy input.

Another hot topic of discussion during panel discussion  is the fate of the ethanol tax credit (VEETC) that is set to expire at the end of this year. Panel members noted that while the tax credit does not directly benefit ethanol producers nor corn growers, it has “strong implications if not passed” and concluded that “Passing VEETC is a benefit to anyone purchasing gasoline and a win-win for everyone.”