Renewable Energy (biogas) Delivered to PG&E Customers

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=46302

San Francisco, California Biomethane from dairies is helping PG&E realize its renewable energy goals. The company signed an agreement with Microgy, Inc., a subsidiary of Environmental Power Corporation, to purchase up to 8,000 mcf of pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (biomethane) daily, generated by Microgy facilities in California.

"Biomethane takes the problem of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and turns it into a key part of the solution to California's reliance on fossil fuels."-- Allen Dusault, Sustainable Conservation, Biofuels Project Director

"The state of California is both the largest dairy producer and the largest energy consumer in the United States," said Rich Kessel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Environmental Power. "This agreement is an important step towards developing an important renewable energy source from California's vital agricultural sector."

Microgy plans to construct four production facilities on the site of large dairy farms in California and interconnect those systems to PG&E's extensive gas pipeline network. PG&E is also exploring other projects that will demonstrate the viability of converting biomethane to pipeline quality gas for use in power plants.

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[JohnWxy]

1. recommended.

[kestrel91316]

2. Wow. Companies are finally starting to use the brains God

gave them............

Now if we can get them to do this with our abundant HUMAN waste so we don't have to dump it into our rivers and oceans partially-treated or untreated, contributing unnecessarily to "dead zones".

[Norbu]

3. brought to you by the cattle farming industry?

I'm not saying it's all bad, but in the end this is just another distraction from long term renewable biofuel solutions that can actually scale

i.e., algae biofuels

[XemaSab]

5. I agree

They're trying to paint giant cattle feedlot manure lagoons as "green", when in reality they are a massive source of air and water pollution in the San Joaquin Valley.

[Gregorian]

4. Under California's net metering law, they have to buy it.

http://www.dsireusa.org/library/includes/incentive2.cfm?Incentive_Code=CA02R&state=CA&CurrentPageID=1&RE=1&EE=0

"California's net-metering law, which took effect in 1996, requires all utilities to allow net metering to all customers for solar and wind-energy systems up to 1 megawatt (MW). Investor owned-utilities are required to offer net metering for biogas-electric systems and fuel cells."





We're finally getting into the proper mode of thinking.

[BornagainDUer]

6. Another good alternative to Bush power.

[NickB79]

7. So, massive amounts of fossil fuels are used to farm cattle

And we get a tiny fraction of that back as biogas. Sorry if I don't break out the champagne just yet.

[jpak]

8. Biogas from manure solves several problems

1. It reduces/eliminates ammonia (and other odor) emissions from manure ponds.

2. It produces high quality methane (for electrical power production and thermal applications).

3. The processed manure is high quality fertilizer.

4. It provides another revenue stream for farmers.

It's win-win-win-win deal...

and the alternative is to do nothing???

[NickB79]

9. Well, eating lower on the food chain would solve all those problems

And then some. Eating beef and pork on the scale Americans do is horribly unsustainable. We would be much better served by simply eating less red meat than investing in this.

[jpak]

10. I agree that eating lower on the food chain is a good thing

but as we have dairy herds to produce milk, this is a good investment...