Sixth AgSTAR National Conference

Tour of Big Sky West Dairy

• This project utilizes the modified mixed / plug flow GHD digester technology to manage manure from approximately 4,700 head of dairy cows and a small amount of other organic wastes.  The manure is scraped into a flume, flushed into a collection pit and then pumped to the digester. The biogas is used to fuel two 710 kW co-generation units with power sold to the local utility.  A two stage solid-liquid separation system is used for solid separation, with the manure fibers beneficially used.  The development of the digester significantly reduced the dairy's manure management costs as well as provided a superior bedding for the livestock. The remaining fiber and emissions credits are sold to third parties.  The project has been operational for two years, and power production is running at 105% of original projections.  The generator set availability is approximately 95%, with digester availability close to 100%.  The project is owned by DFAP (a joint venture of Dean Foods and AgPower Partners) and is operated by Andgar Corporation under a long-term O&M contract.

The tour included an opportunity to visit five different stations to learn about all aspects of this comprehensive digester system. Attendees heard from representatives of the dairy farm, digester designer, project owner, and project staff on the design, financing, construction and operation of this system:

• Station 1 - Manure Handling and Substrate Preparation
  Bryan VanLoo, Specialty Construction Manager, Andgar and Mike Apol, Regional Manager, Andgar
• Station 2 - Modified Plug Flow Digester
  Steve Dvorak, President, GHD Inc.
• Station 3 - Liquid/Solid Separation and Phosphorus Removal
  Marlin Statema, Partner, Ag Power Partners and Marty Tolle, Environmental Manager, Big Sky Dairy
• Station 4 - Biogas Processing and Engine Generator
  Brad Weg, Project Manager, Andgar and Marcus Martin, Owner, Martin Machinery
• Station 5 - Project Financing/Carbon Sales
  Bob Joblin, Partner, Ag Power Partners

Carbon Offsets Workshop for Livestock Digester Projects: Presentations from the Climate Action Reserve's workshop are available.

Opening Speaker
James Carkulis, President and CEO, Exergy Development Group, Boise, Idaho (PDF) (7 pp, 410K)

• Mr. Carkulis founded Exergy in 2001. He has since emerged as one of the paradigm-changers in the renewable energy industry, breaking new ground in how facilities are planned, situated, and financed. In the process, he has grown Exergy into a major player in renewable energy development in the United States. Under his leadership, Exergy has since moved into solar, biomass, anaerobic digesters, and energy storage. In 2005, the US Department of Energy's Wind Powering America program presented Carkulis with the "Carpe Ventum" award in recognition of his fresh approach to mitigating utility concerns about wind energy integration and his commitment to rural and community-oriented projects. His philosophy is free market principles are fundamentally compatible with societal values and accounting for the real value of social and natural capital is critical to long-term and sustainable economic prosperity.

Financing Structures to Move the Market Forward
Moderator: Chris Voell, National Program Manager, AgSTAR

• US Market Outlook, AgSTAR (PDF) (12 pp, 1.6 MB)
• A New Business Paradigm to Transform the Digester Industry, Jerry Bingold, Innovation Center for US Dairy (PDF) (19 pp, 1.2 MB)
• Third Party Build-Own-Operate Model, Bob Joblin, Ag Power Group
• Making Projects Happen in the Northwest, Kevin Maas, Farm Power Northwest (PDF) (12 pp, 1.4 MB)

Energy Policy and Regulations
Moderator: David Dunn, Central Vermont Public Service

• Securing a Power Purchase Agreement and Interconnection, Greg Adams, Richardson & O'Leary (PDF) (23 pp, 1.4 MB)
• An Update on the California Market, Nettie Drake, Ag Power Development, LLC (PDF) (20 pp, 970K)
• Learning from the Vermont Experience, Michael Raker, Agricultural Energy Consultants, LLC (PDF) (21 pp, 453K)

Biogas Recovery Systems - More Than Just a Digester
Moderator: Allison Costa, Program Manager, AgSTAR

• Common Factors for Success and Failure of Digester Systems, Allison Costa, AgSTAR (PDF) (15 pp, 551K)
• Increasing Utilization of Anaerobic Digestion Systems, Andrew Wedel, PE, MS, McLanahan Corp. (PDF) (30 pp, 1.4 MB)
• System Component Panel
  • Mechanical/Chemical Liquid Solid Separation of Anaerobic Digestate, Mike Cavallero, Kemira (PDF) (17 pp, 838K)
  • Centrifugal Chopper Pumps and the Anaerobic Digester, Carl Edem, Vaughan Co. Inc.
  • AD System Management - The Benefits of Monitoring, Dennis Totzke, Applied Technologies, Inc. (PDF) (28 pp, 1.2 MB)
  • Nutrient Recovery Technology Research at Washington State University, Craig Frear, Washington State University (PDF) (19 pp, 980K)

Funding Sources - Varied and Growing
Moderator: Garth Boyd, Camco

• USDA Funding Programs - New Sources and Bundling, Chris Cassidy, USDA
• Aggregating New Financing Mechanisms, Sheldon Zakreski, The Climate Trust (PDF) (13 pp, 830K)
• New Opportunities for Carbon Revenues from Digester Projects, Max DuBuisson, Climate Action Reserve (PDF) (22 pp, 414K)

Biogas Recovery Project Updates
Moderator: Mark Stoermann, Fair Oaks Dairy Farms

• GE – Bullish on Digester Biogas, Shonodeep Modak, GE Energy (PDF) (22 pp, 6.8 MB)
• Small-Scale Production of CNG from Biogas: Dane County, Wisconsin, Dennis Fenn, Cornerstone Environmental Group, LLC (PDF) (24 pp, 1.3 MB)
• Exergy New Energy Projects, Laura Knothe, PE, President - Bioenergy Division, Exergy New Energy (PDF) (15 pp, 1.3 MB)

American Biogas Council and Dairy Power Meeting

• Conference attendees heard updates from both of these organizations on their efforts to advance anaerobic digester systems.

State and Community Support for AD Systems
Moderator: John Welch, Dane County Public Works

• A Community Digester Feasibility Study for Lowville, New York: Biomass, Biogas and Economic Assessments and Implications, Curt Gooch, P.E., Cornell University (PDF) (68 pp, 7.9 MB)
• Agriculture Biogas Implementation Grant Trends for 2010 and the Future of Biogas in Wisconsin, Joe Schultz, GDS Associates Inc./WI Focus on Energy (PDF) (15 pp, 1.3 MB)

Co-Digestion: Risk and Reward
Moderator: Grant Grinstead, Northern Biogas LLC

• Experience with Co-Digestion Regulations, Bruce Bailey, quasar energy group (PDF) (20 pp, 1.1 MB)
• Co-Digestion of Various Slaughterhouse Waste with Farm Waste, Steve Dvorak, P.E., GHD, Inc. (PDF) (15 pp, 1.3 MB)
• Emerging Opportunities for Organic Solid Feedstock for Co-Digestion, Matt Hedrick, Quest Recycling (PDF) (15 pp, 988K)

Alternative Technologies for Manure and Organics Management
Moderator: Tim Zauche, University of Wisconsin - Platteville

• High Solids Dry Fermentation, Norma McDonald, Organic Waste Systems (PDF) (30 pp, 3.2 MB)
• WWTP Digester System Helps City of Saint-Hyacinthe Achieve Goals and Save Money, Michael Brown, Bio-Methatech Canada Inc. (PDF) (35 pp, 3.4 MB)

Biogas Recovery Project Updates – Part 2
Moderator: Amanda Green, Oregon Dairy Farmers Association

• A Covered Lagoon Digester at Burrows Hall Swine Farm, South Carolina, Ricardo Hamdan, Environmental Fabrics Inc. (PDF) (23 pp, 2.6 MB)
• The Brubaker Farms Dairy Digester Project, Luke Brubaker, Brubaker Farms