Originally the news hit the streets that San Jose had taken on a $20 million project to turn human waste into renewable fuel. The actual story is, it’s not human waste they’re after but food and yard waste. Phew Whew.

San Jose officials, along with three partners will product nine hundred gallons of renewable fuel using 150,000 metric tons of organic waste produced generated.

This project is expected to create more jobs and mark San Jose as a forerunner into the clean tech future.

The city estimates that the project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 1,800 vehicles a year and expects to earn revenue by selling the renewable fuel and fertilizer that the new facility has generated.

The project is a partnership between:
Harvest Power Inc. A clean-tech firm with backing from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the clean-tech venture capital fund. Harvest has licensed a “dry fermentation” process developed by Bekon Energy Technology, a German firm that has built a dozen such facilities in Europe and expects to open another 13 this year.

Greenwaste Recovery which leads the industry in waste recovery innovation
Zanker Road Resource Management, a recycling facility and waste management authority

Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2010.

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