New York Convenes Dairy Power Summit to Make Methane Digesters in NYS a Reality
More than 200 experts in dairy production, engineering, environmental science, financing, legislation and policy, and green energy business met at the New York Dairy Power Summit: Creating a Greener, Cleaner Future in Syracuse, NY on October 29-30 to explore and accelerate opportunities for U.S. dairy farmers to use cow manure methane biogas to generate reliable,…
More than 200 experts in dairy production, engineering, environmental science, financing, legislation and policy, and green energy business met at the New York Dairy Power Summit: Creating a Greener, Cleaner Future in Syracuse, NY on October 29-30 to explore and accelerate opportunities for U.S. dairy farmers to use cow manure methane biogas to generate reliable, cost-effective renewable electricity. Methane from manure is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the fluid milk value chain while also representing a largely untapped source of renewable energy.
The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy is coordinating this effort, with sponsorship from GE Energy.
According to the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, the state has 6,200 dairy farms with more than 600,000 dairy cows, but only 10,000 cows are utilized in energy production through the use of 12 methane digesters that generate 1.3 megawatts. Manure from approximately 2,500 cows can produce electrical output of 500kW–enough to power roughly 200 homes.
Based on what the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy learns in New York at the Dairy Power Summit, programs similar to the New York pilot project will be rolled out across the nation.
For more information, contact Ryan Young, Blu Skye Sustainability Consulting, at 415.277.1842.
