In This Section:
Where The Gas Is Always Greener
State By State, Restaurants Are Great
SMUD Studies 'Leftovers To Light'
This issue's Economic Report Sponsor: Atlas Metal Industries Inc. | Regulatory ReportSponsor: APW Wyott Innovations
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Where The Gas Is Always Greener
Willie Nelson's restaurant-oil-burning bus might soon have company out there. An enterprising company in San Francisco is now turning used cooking oil into diesel fuel.
Bay Area Biofuel, a locally owned and operated regional alternative energy collaborative headquartered in Richmond, Calif., sends collection trucks to pick up waste cooking oil from area restaurants.
The oil is transported to a processing facility in Richmond, filtered to remove contaminants for composting, and subjected to a catalytic process to produce a "green" alternative that can be added to or used in place of petroleum diesel fuel.
Pick-up rates are competitive with traditional oil disposal services.
Bay Area Biofuel currently serves about 160 foodservice clients in San Francisco and the Bay area. Plans include more than doubling business this year—the company expects to have up to 500 Bay Area customers by mid-2006, and open a second processing facility by year's end, according to Pres. Kenneth Kron.
For more information, call 510/236-3385 or visit www.bayareabiofuel.com.
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State By State, Restaurants Are Great
If you know of any hospitality/foodservice students in the pipeline, here's a tip to pass on to them: When you graduate, head West—or South, for that matter.
A foodservice industry forecast recently released by the National Restaurant Association predicts vigorous growth in foodservice sales and jobs in both the West and South.
This year Nevada is expected to lead the nation with 8.9% sales growth; Arizona follows with 8.1%, Florida with 6.9%, Colorado with 6.8%, and Texas with 6.7%. The highest 2006 restaurant-sales volume is expected in California, where sales are predicted to reach $51.5 billion, Texas at $30 billion, New York at $25.5 billion, Florida at $24.0 billion, and Illinois at $17.1 billion.
Looking at the next 10 years, the strongest growth in foodservice jobs will also be in the Western and Southern states. Arizona leads the way, followed by Nevada, South Carolina, Texas and Alaska.
"The nation's 925,000 restaurants—even through the challenges of rising energy costs and major hurricanes in '05—are entering '06 with solid performances and optimism on both the national and state levels," noted Hudson Riehle, senior v.p. of the NRA's Research and Information Services Division.
To order the Forecast, call 800/482-9122, or visit the Association's online store at www.restaurant.org.
Section sponsored by MUFES '06, Feb. 11-13, 2006
SMUD Studies 'Leftovers To Light'
What if your restaurant's food waste could be converted into electricity? The Sacramento Municipal Utility District may be doing just that down the road.
To that end, SMUD has partnered with the University of California-Davis, to investigate the feasibility of converting food scraps into fuel for electricity.
The project, called "Leftovers to Lights," uses anaerobic bacteria to process food waste into renewable energy and compost. In the process, the organisms produce biogas, consisting of methane and carbon dioxide. Like natural gas, methane can be used to generate electricity, replacing fossil fuels.
Food waste makes up about 18% of Sacramento's commercial garbage. Diverting food waste from local landfills could help businesses reduce disposal costs.
SMUD's goal is to generate 20% of electricity from renewable sources, including wind, solar, geothermal and biomass, by 2011. Currently only 10% of its electricity comes from renewable resources.
For more information about the project, call SMUD Program Manager Ruth MacDougall, 916/732-6625.
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