News

Company chosen for county’s 1st digester

Facility part of Cow-Power Project; will serve 3 dairy farms

Dane County has reached an agreement with a biogas energy developer to move forward with the county’s Cow-Power Project, an initiative to install an energy generating manure digestive system with the ability to remove pollution-causing phosphorus.

Sindicatum Carbon Capital Americas, a company seeking greenhouse gas solutions, and the Milwaukee-based Clear Horizons were chosen to partner with the county in developing further plans for the project, according to a statement released Monday by Dane County.

The Cow-Power Project includes building a community manure digester to be used by three Waunakee dairy farms, the statement said. The digester breaks down waste and produces methane gas which generates energy when burned. Additionally, the digestive system includes separation technology that will remove algae-producing phosphorous, a major source of lake pollution.

Joshua Wescott, spokesperson for Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, said the project also provides a solution for farmers having to dispose of excess manure, as it will reduce the cost of transporting manure to another location.

“Instead of them spending to truck manure, it goes right into the digester and the digester makes green energy,” Wescott said.

In the spring, the county made a request for companies interested in the project to develop proposals for the ownership and operation of the facility. The county decided on Clear Horizons after months of considering proposals and conducting interviews, Wescott said.

“Going through the proposal process, the feeling is Clear Horizons is best equipped to own and operate this facility,” Wescott said.

The program will be both publicly and privately funded, with all $3.3 million of the public funding being reserved for phosphorous removal technology, Wescott said. The Waunakee digester is the first of two Dane County digesters for which Gov. Jim Doyle has committed funding in the 2009-11 biennium budget.

Clear Horizons will fund the installation and operation of the facility. Clear Horizons General Manager Dan Nemke said the company anticipates a cost of $10 to $12 million for the digester, pumping manure and storage.

In 2006, Clear Horizons installed a similar digestive system at the Crave Brothers Farm in Waterloo, Wis., and finished its second system installation this fall.

Nemke said the plans for the Dane County model are similar to the Crave farm system, in which Clear Horizons owns the digestive facility and is responsible for its operation and maintenance.

However, there are features unique to the Dane County project, one of which is its community model, Wescott said. Currently, digesters are installed on large, single farms, and the Waunakee digester will be the first to be shared among three farms.

Furthermore, Wescott said other systems do not have the phosphorous-removing technology like that included in the Waunakee model.

“We think we’re doing something fairly cutting edge and exciting here,” Wescott said.

Now that the developer has been selected, some of the responsibilities for the project will be passed to Clear Horizons, including determining a viable location and securing finances.