Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara, announced Monday that Biodiesel Industries of Ventura LLC received $1,829,544 from the California Energy Commission to demonstrate several renewable energy sources that will be used to power a biodiesel production facility.

Funding for the grant, which the Energy Commission recently approved, comes from the commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program. The project is receiving $2,012,670 in match funding from several subcontractors on the project.

“This project will further clean energy technology in California and help the state reach its renewable energy goals,” Williams said.

The Ventura-based company will integrate multiple renewable technologies into a single heat and power system. The system will be used to produce reliable on-demand power for a biodiesel production facility located at the U.S. naval base at Port Hueneme.

The emerging renewable technologies include solar power and the conversion of solid and liquid bi-products of biodiesel production into energy.

Results of the study will be used to create a pathway for producing biodiesel that increases use of renewables and waste products, and reduces energy cost.

The California Energy Commission’s PIER program supports public interest research and development that helps improve the quality of life in California by bringing environmentally safe, reliable and affordable energy services and products to the marketplace.

— James Joyce is a field representative of Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara.