Manure as clean renewable energy? That's a load of cow droppings
By Contributor
This is a toot in the right direction.
B.C.’s first small-scale on-farm anaerobic digester will be built at Abbotsford’s Bakerview EcoDairy, converting cow manure into clean renewable energy — and then connecting to B.C.’s electricity grid.
The anaerobic digester will generate up to 60,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually – enough to power 20 electric vehicles a year.
It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, odour from manure and the amount of manure that can run-off into local water supplies.
The digester not only generates clean electricity but also creates heat, fertilizer and cow bedding for the farm. The system heats cow manure and captures the byproduct – biogas. The biogas is used by a generator to create electricity.
“This is a ground-breaking project for our province and will demonstrate to other dairy farmers the environmental and economic benefits of on-site energy generation on a proportional scale,” said Garnet Etsell, chair, BC Agriculture Council, on behalf of the Environmental Farm Plan Program.
The project was funded in part through a $240,000 grant from the BC Bioenergy Network, a $70,000 grant from the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) Program and an $80,000 grant from BC Hydro’s Power Smart Technology Demonstration Fund.
The Power Smart fund is available for projects that demonstrate innovative and emerging technologies that can be used in “real life” situations to conserve electricity.
Other sustainable initiatives at the Bakerview EcoDairy include a natural ventilation system that uses the forces of wind and buoyancy to deliver fresh air into the building; an energy efficient lighting system; automated atmospheric controls that detect changes in the internal climate and automatically adjust windows, curtains and fans; and a water conservation system that collects fresh rainwater from the roof of one of the buildings to irrigate the grounds and the green roof on the barn.
About The Nutriva Group (Bakerview EcoDairy Ltd.)
- The Nutriva Group is a multi-faceted, innovative group of agri-businesses located in Abbotsford, B.C.
- The Group focuses on developing and managing whole food value chains that begin with progressive, environmentally-responsible farm practices and end with functional food products that embody natural nutrition innovation to improve the health and well-being of Canadians.
- The Nutriva Group consists of three main business units that include Nutritech, Bakerview and Nutrifoods. The Bakerview EcoDairy is home to, an eco-friendly demonstration dairy, animal exhibits, Vitala cows and chickens, the Nutrifoods Farm Market, Bradner Milk Transport, Diverse Byproducts, and the Nutriva Group offices.
About the BC Bioenergy Network
- Established in April 2008 with a $25 million grant from the B.C. government, the BC Bioenergy Network (BCBN) is an industry-led association that acts as a catalyst for deploying near-term bioenergy technologies and organizing mission-driven research for the development and demonstration of sustainable to build a world class bioenergy capability in B.C.
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