by jboullion | Nov 10, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Matthew DeFour in the Wisconsin State Journal:
Dane County’s first community manure digester, the first cooperative project of its kind in Wisconsin, will be built and operated by a Milwaukee-based company that plans to finance most of the project itself.
By letting Clear Horizons, in partnership with SCC Americas, a global developer of greenhouse gas emission reduction projects, operate the Waunakee community digester, the county is avoiding the financial risks and rewards.
“That was important to the farmers (who wanted) a separate company operating the digester,” Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said of the county’s decision. “We’ve chosen this model because Clear Horizons brings significant private dollars.”
Clear Horizons plans to privately finance everything except a $3.3 million state earmark. The state included $6.6 million in its latest budget for the Waunakee digester and another being planned near Middleton. The county planned to borrow $1.4 million for the project, but now won’t have to spend anything to build the first digester.
Clear Horizons general manager Dan Nemke said construction is expected to cost about $11 million. After designs are finalized and a site is selected on one of three participating farms, the company expects to break ground in the spring and begin processing manure by the fall.
A manure digester is essentially a mini power plant that uses bacteria to convert cow manure into mostly methane gas, a fiber material and a liquid fertilizer. The methane is burned to generate electricity and the fiber can be used as cow bedding.
The Waunakee digester is expected to generate $2 million worth of electricity every year, and Clear Horizons plans to sell the fiber material.
Dane County’s 400 dairy farms and 50,000 dairy cows – a $700 million industry – produce more than 2 billion pounds of manure each year. Much of that is spread on fields in the winter and the resulting runoff into creeks and rivers has killed thousands of fish in the past.
by jboullion | Nov 4, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Steve Sharp in the Watertown Daily Times:
JOHNSON CREEK – The operator of the massive Deer Track Park Landfill in the town of Farmington is continuing its exploration and implementation of new technologies to recover energy from waste stored at the site, as well as at others.
According to representatives of Waste Management, which operates the Deer Track Park Landfill, gas from a California landfill is being transformed into liquefied natural gas to power recycling and waste collection vehicles. This is a project a Waste Management of Wisconsin official said signals a growing national interest in harvesting renewable energy from everyday waste.
Waste Management, Inc., North America’s largest waste services company, and Linde North America, a leading global gases and engineering company, announced this week that their joint venture company has begun producing clean, renewable vehicle fuel from gas recovered at Waste Management’s Altamont Landfill near Livermore, Calif. The facility is North America’s largest one converting landfill gas to liquefied natural gas.
In Wisconsin, Waste Management generates electricity from gas it collects at landfills it owns in Jefferson, Green Lake, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Rusk, Washington and Waukesha counties.
“The California project is a great example of how we can recover resources in waste, protect the environment and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels,” Todd Hartman, director of disposal operations overseeing Waste Management’s landfills in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula said. “The demand for green energy is leading us to innovative technologies for capturing the renewable energy that’s as close as your kitchen trash can.”
by jboullion | Nov 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Christine Won from The Journal Times (Racine):
TOWN OF PORTLAND – Several residents living near a Dodge County processing plant that converts manure into electricity said they don’t notice odor problems or have any complaints.
The dairy farm near Waterloo that has an anaerobic digester, like the one being proposed for Yorkville in Racine County to convert organic waste into methane gas to produce electricity, has gotten a positive response from its surrounding community since its installment in 2007, both residents and farm owners agree.
Robert and Ruth Yerges live about half a mile east of the dairy farm. They smell about a fourth of the odor from manure than they did before the digester, Robert Yerges said. The digester was one of the best things for the dairy farm, Ruth Yerges added.
“We estimate that we eliminate about 85 percent of the smell (of manure) by having it go through the digester,” said Thomas Crave, one of the four owners of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese.
The three Yorkville Town Board members toured the Crave Brothers Dairy Farm, W11555 Torpy Road, on Friday morning.
DF-1 Associates, the business group proposing a processing plant at the former Maple Leaf Farms site on Highway U in Yorkville, organized the tour so board members can see and smell what they would be dealing with.
However, a key difference between the Portland and Yorkville plants is feedstock, said Dave Duerson, spokesman for the group. The Portland plant uses cow manure where the Yorkville one would use food waste.
Town Chairman Jim Moyer, himself a farmer, said he was impressed with the Crave plant but “the jury’s still out” for Yorkville.
Yorkville residents were not sold when the group presented its proposal before the Town Board on Oct. 12, saying that bringing in trucks of garbage through their neighborhoods would depreciate property values and create odor, noise, traffic and safety concerns.
Crave said there have not been any electrical or methane gas-related problems.
by jboullion | Oct 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Rick Barrett in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A group of local businessmen have proposed using a waste treatment facility at the former Maple Leaf Farms in Yorkville to process food waste into electricity.
Maple Leaf was one of the nation’s largest duck farms. It closed in 2008, resulting in the shutdown of its manure-to-energy methane digester.
DF-1 Associates is a group of Racine-area businessmen involved in restaurant grease recycling. They’re hoping to reopen the methane digester and fuel it with restaurant garbage and waste from food-processing plants. The company would make money by hauling away the waste from restaurants and food processors and selling electricity generated from the digester.
by jboullion | Jul 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
MADISON, Wis. (July 8, 2009) – Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, has awarded grants totaling more than $2.6 million to help businesses statewide finance the installation of large renewable energy systems. Funds were awarded on a competitive basis to help eligible businesses become more energy independent.
“The grants awarded offer businesses financial assistance for projects that will make a significant impact on Wisconsin’s growing renewable energy market; in fact, these larger renewable energy systems offer businesses a way to lessen their dependence on fossil fuel based energy use, in turn reducing pollution” said Don Wichert, program director for Focus on Energy. “It is my hope more organizations will look to these businesses as shining examples of energy pioneers — and follow their example.”
Grant Recipients
Following are the grant recipients in their respective technologies:
Solar hot water
Industrial Towel & Uniform (ITU) Inc. of New Berlin, Wis., an industrial laundry service company, was awarded $170,000 to install a 10,000 square foot solar hot water system. This system will reduce ITU’s natural gas use by 28,388 therms a year, a significant decrease in its annual natural gas consumption. The system will be the largest solar water heating system in the state when completed.
Other grant recipients
Orion Electric Systems in Manitowoc, Wis., was awarded $250,000 to install a 273 kilowatt (kW) solar electric system. Orion Energy Systems labels itself as a technology center, designed with the express intention of reaching out to the community and developing an education program to introduce various energy technologies and devices to the public. To this end, its solar electric system will serve as a demonstration and educational tool. In addition, the project will be the largest solar electric system in the state and the first in the state to use an innovative cylindrical solar thin film technology.
PPC Partners Inc. in Plymouth, Wis., was awarded $500,000 to complete a 1,137 kW anaerobic digester energy system. PPC Partners will own the system; however, it will be located at Goeser Dairy LLC, a 1,000 head dairy operation. Goeser Dairy will provide the majority of waste stream to serve as the digester’s feedstock and other wastes will also be used. The dairy will benefit from the enhanced waste and odor management system as well as reduced bedding fees.
The City of Sheboygan Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) was awarded $205,920 to install a biogas maximization system. The Sheboygan WWTP has been successfully operating a number of 300 kW microturbine systems for nearly four years. The new biogas maximization system will increase the gas production of the existing anaerobic digester from 30 percent to 60 percent. To capture the energy from the increased amount of biogas, the city will install two additional 200 kW microturbines, bringing the total generation capacity of the WWTP up to 700 kW.
Dairy Dreams LLC of Casco, Wis., a 3,000 head dairy operation, was awarded $434,477 for the installation of an 800 kW anaerobic digester energy system. The system will produce energy, while helping to manage waste and control odor.
Industrial Towel & Uniform (ITU) Inc. of New Berlin, Wis., an industrial laundry service company, was awarded $170,000 to install a 10,000 square foot solar hot water system. This system will reduce ITU’s natural gas use by 28,388 therms a year, a significant decrease in its annual natural gas consumption. The system will be the largest solar water heating system in the state when completed.
Cashton Greens Wind Farm LLC of Cashton, Wis., was awarded $250,000 to install two wind turbines with a 5,000 kW capacity. The two-turbine wind farm is an innovative partnership between Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools (CROPP), Western Technical College (WTC) and Gundersen Lutheran Health System Inc. It will be the first “community wind” project in the state and its two turbines will be the largest in the state.
Clear Horizons LLC in Sun Prairie, Wis., was awarded $500,000 to complete a 1,137 kW anaerobic digester energy system. Clear Horizons will own the system; however, it will be located at Maunesha River Dairy, a 1,000 head dairy operation. The dairy’s waste stream will serve as the digester’s feed stock and will use additional organic wastes from other sources. The system will produce energy, help manage waste and control odor.
Gundersen Lutheran Envision LLC in La Crosse, Wis., was awarded $376,057 to install a biomass fired steam plant to produce renewable thermal energy for Gundersen Lutheran Hospital’s main campus. The system is estimated to provide approximately 95 percent of the campus’ thermal needs. The boiler system will be fired with both wood waste and agricultural waste.
Businesses Statewide Are Eligible
In addition to the grants awarded, Focus on Energy offers financial incentives for smaller renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. To learn more about Focus on Energy, available financial incentives, or to get an application, call (800) 762-7077 or visit Focus on Energy.
