cooperative approaches to facilitate the use of anaerobic digesters on dairy farms
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Cooperative Approaches to Facilitate the Use of Anaerobic Digesters on Dairy Farms. Carolyn Liebrand USDA Rural Development Biofuels: Prospects and Challenges in Development and Policy - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Cooperative Approaches to Facilitate the Use of Anaerobic Digesters on Dairy FarmsCarolyn LiebrandUSDA Rural Development
Biofuels: Prospects and Challenges in Development and PolicySouthern Association of Agricultural Scientists and Southern Rural Sociology Association Annual meeting, February 2, 2009
This presentation is based on the forthcoming RBS Research Report 217, Cooperative Approaches for Implementation of Dairy Manure Digesters to be published circa Jan/Feb 2009 by USDA/Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
What is Anaerobic Digestion?
Manure + Oxygen-limiting environment =
Biologically stabilized effluentand
Methane, Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen sulfide
Biologically stabilized effluent
Reduced Odor Avoided lawsuits Regulatory compliance
Improved nutrient quality Avoided fertilizer purchases Sales
Reduced pathogens; weed see viability
Avoided herbicide purchases Easier to handle
Lower energy use (revenues/avoided costs)
Biologically stabilized effluent
Liquid fertilizer (sales/avoided purchases)
Separated solids Cow bedding (sales/avoided
purchases) Gardening products (sales)
(revenues/avoided costs)
Biogas
(revenues/avoided costs)
Flare Fuel for farm equipment
Power a generator for electricity Cogeneration: heat/hot water Mobile engines: remove H2S,
pressurize Pipeline: clean and condition Sell carbon credits
Biogas “Global Warming Potential” (1 CH4 ~ 21 CO2)
Qualified to receive carbon credit if: Net reduction of carbon emissions from base period Measureable and verifiable Clear ownership of claim
CCX 1 contract = 100 MT of CO2-e ; <100 contracts need aggregator One cow represents 5 metric tons/year CO2-e (methane from AD) ~ 20 cows/contract; < 2,000 cows need aggregator
But! Only 95 AD projects on dairy farms in
19 states (according to NRCS, 2007)
Less than 0.2 % of licensed dairy farms
Obstacles to adoption of anaerobic digesters for dairy manure
Anaerobic digester Capital cost Limited number of providers Lack of information Adapting digester to exiting manure system Additional demands on operator time and
skill
Obstacles to adoption of anaerobic digesters for dairy manure
Capturing value low rates paid by utilities interconnection issues inability to utilize effluent on farm
Bedding, fertilizer
inability to market products from effluent Bedding, fertilizer, soil amendment, carbon
credits, gas
Negotiation Prices and terms with utilities Digester providers Firms with organic waste
Possible Cooperative Roles
Services Technical assistance Digester management Back-up equipment Manure hauling Financial
Possible Cooperative Roles
Possible Cooperative Roles
Carbon Credit trading Inform members of the opportunity Engage brokers or act as broker Engage aggregators or act as an aggregator
(pooling) Joint venture with other co-ops for
aggregator services Engage or have verifiers on staff
Marketing Green electricity Digested solids; liquid effluent
Centralized digester
Centralized gas plant
Possible Cooperative Roles
Limited function - ? - multiple functions
Cooperation—more efficient/effective than each adopter “going it alone” ?
Benefits of acting cooperatively > costs?
Summary
Questions/Comments?
[email protected]/690-1414