Success Stories for Wisconsin
FIRST
DPC "COW POWER" RENEWABLE FACILITY COMES ONLINE: Dairyland Power Cooperative
(WI-064), in partnership with Microgy, Inc., (a subsidiary of Environmental
Power Corp.) celebrated bringing its first anaerobic digester "cow power" facility
online with a ribbon cutting at Five Star Dairy in Elk Mound, Wisconsin. Five
Star Dairy is served by Dunn Energy Cooperative, a member of the Dairyland system.
The Five Star Dairy facility is expected to generate 775 kilowatts of renewable energy, capable of powering 600 homes throughout Dairyland's four-state service area.
Cow manure is collected and heated in the digester tank, a process that creates methane gas. This biogas is used to generate renewable electricity.
Microgy designed and constructed the anaerobic digester facility, and will take care of its operation and maintenance. The electric generating equipment is owned by Dairyland. The farmer sells the methane gas to Dairyland.
A significant benefit of the renewable energy facility is the reduction of animal waste problems associated with manure disposal on farms. Odor is reduced, and weed seeds and pathogens are killed during the digestion process, thus reducing the need for herbicides and pesticides on the farm.
"This 'green' alliance Dairyland and Microgy have formed is a win-win for energy consumers and the environment. We are very excited to see this first facility begin producing power, and look forward to bringing more digester plants online in the future," said Dairyland President and CEO William Berg.
With
headquarters in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Dairyland is a generation and transmission
cooperative (G&T) that provides the wholesale electrical requirements and other
services for 25 electric distribution cooperatives and 20 municipal utilities
in the Upper Midwest.
Dairyland was formed in December 1941. Today, the cooperative's generating stations (coal, hydro, natural gas, landfill gas) have more than 1,100 megawatt capacity. Dairyland delivers electricity via more than 3,100 miles of transmission lines and nearly 300 substations located throughout the system's 44,500 square mile service area.
Dairyland's service area encompasses 62 counties in four states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois). Dairyland has provided low-cost, reliable electrical energy and related services for over 63 years.
July 2005