|
 |
|
Documents, Tools and Resources
Cow Power
East Central Electric Association, a distribution co-op in
Braham, Minnesota, will soon be getting power from an unusual
source: cow manure. A local dairy farmer is building a huge "methane-biomass
recovery system," one of only a dozen in the country and the
first in the Midwest. East Central has signed a five-year contract
to buy the excess energy.
The recovery system runs the cow manure through a "digester," a
concrete trench covered by a membrane. As microbes break down
the manure, methane gas is released, harnessed and run through
a generator to produce electricity. When the farming operation
grows to 1,000 cows, as planned, the expected electrical output
will be 100,000 kWh, enough to make the farm energy self-sufficient.
East Central anticipates buying 100 kW around the clock at
full retail price.
"We have an extensive green power program, so this complements
our effort to produce and market energy from renewable sources," says
Henry Fischer, manager of business and community development
at East Central. He is also enthused about having a member
supply renewable energy, which breaks new ground for the co-op.
Dennis Haubenschild, who owns the farm with his wife, Marsha,
has a track record of keeping the farm "environmentally, socially
and economically balanced," as he puts it. East Central has
worked with him on other improvements, such as adding four
energy-efficient, off-peak electric water heaters.
In addition to electricity, the recovery system creates two
by-products: an odor-free slurry that will be used to fertilize
Haubenschild's fields and a high-grade compost that will be
sold to local garden centers. The expanded dairy operation
will create 30 new jobs.
The system is being built with $275,000 in state and federal
loans and grants, including assistance from AgSTAR, a program
of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Reprinted with permission from Rural Electrification Magazine. |
