Steely Dan
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http://www.democratandchronicle.com...nure-into-power?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home
Dairy farms turn manure into power
11:53 PM, Jul. 9, 2011
...The Zuber farm is one of about a dozen dairy farms around the state that has installed an anaerobic manure digestion system, relying on hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants to build and run a small power plant running on poop.
In 18 months, the new manure digestion system has:
Cut Eric and Kim Zuber's annual bedding bill of $240,000 in half.
Reduced their annual electric bill of $108,000 by about 90 percent.
Provided a small income from excess power sold back to the power company.
Provided additional income from fees paid by food producers who dump their waste into the manure digester, too.
Perhaps most important for their neighbors is that the system has also reduced the odor of what's left over in the manure after the methane and solids are taken out....
Eric Zuber of Byron uses this 12-cylinder engine running on methane gas from cow manure to supply much of the power to operate his farm as well as two houses. A growing number of dairy farms are using manure to generate power. / JAMIE GERMANO/staff photographer
Dairy farms turn manure into power
11:53 PM, Jul. 9, 2011
...The Zuber farm is one of about a dozen dairy farms around the state that has installed an anaerobic manure digestion system, relying on hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants to build and run a small power plant running on poop.
In 18 months, the new manure digestion system has:
Cut Eric and Kim Zuber's annual bedding bill of $240,000 in half.
Reduced their annual electric bill of $108,000 by about 90 percent.
Provided a small income from excess power sold back to the power company.
Provided additional income from fees paid by food producers who dump their waste into the manure digester, too.
Perhaps most important for their neighbors is that the system has also reduced the odor of what's left over in the manure after the methane and solids are taken out....
Eric Zuber of Byron uses this 12-cylinder engine running on methane gas from cow manure to supply much of the power to operate his farm as well as two houses. A growing number of dairy farms are using manure to generate power. / JAMIE GERMANO/staff photographer