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Washington Firm Holds Ground-Breaking For Second Dairy Biogas Plant

06/29/2010

Farm Power, a Skagit County renewable energy company, today broke ground on its second anaerobic dairy digester -- a renewable electricity-generating facility -- which will provide energy to local homes and businesses through PSE and its Green Power Program. Similar to Farm Power’s first dairy digester in Rexville, Wash., the Lynden facility will be capable of producing up to 750 kilowatts of energy, or enough electricity to meet the needs of 500 homes.

“Our goal is to build regional digesters that serve multiple farms, thus making the manure-to-energy technology and benefits available to those who would be unable to build and maintain a digester on their own,” said Kevin Maas, who founded Farm Power Northwest LLC with his brother Daryl, in 2007. “After nearly two years of planning and development, we are excited to begin construction on our newest manure-to-energy project.”

The new Farm Power site is located east of Interstate 5 and just north of the Nooksack River in Lynden. Funding for the digester came from a more than $1 million grant from the Washington State Energy Program, a $500,000 USDA Rural Development grant, and a $2.4 million loan from Shorebank Pacific. The project, which will be built by Ferndale, Wash.-based Andgar Corp., is expected to go online before the end of the year.

A large part of the construction will involve building the 1.5 million gallon heated concrete holding tank, where anaerobic bacteria will convert waste into methane-rich biogas, used to fuel a generator. In addition to producing clean, renewable energy, the digester’s other environmental benefits will include reduced odor, a lowering of residual nitrogen in field-applied manure and the production of fiber bedding for farm use.

Currently, Farm Power has one digester in operation since 2009, located in Rexville, Wash., which processes manure from neighboring dairy farms in Skagit County. All of the Rexville digester’s renewable energy credits are acquired by PSE’s Green Power Program.

“We are proud to support Farm Power as they start construction on another impressive endeavor,” said Tom Maclean, manager, Customer Renewable Energy Programs for PSE. “The Maas brothers are making a local renewable energy project work in a tough economy, which shows how when ingenuity meets demand, incredible things can happen.”

With more than 27,000 participating PSE customers, the Green Power Program is among the largest of the nation’s 600 similar efforts. Signing up for the program allows customers to have their energy needs matched with certified renewable energy sources such as biomass, solar or wind power. Recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency as the nation’s “Green Power Provider of the Year” for 2009, PSE’s Green Power Program has consistently been ranked as one of the Top 10 programs in the country by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

About Farm Power

Northwest Washington’s 100,000 dairy cows form a vital part of a diverse agricultural community that raises a wide variety of crops on some of the world’s best farmland. Farm Power was formed to generate new value from these cows, developing manure-to-energy projects that will benefit dairy farmers and the community. Just like its partner farmers, Farm Power is investing in the long term in a sustainable food and energy supply. For more information, visit www.FarmPower.com.

About Puget Sound Energy

Washington state’s oldest local energy utility, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and nearly 750,000 natural gas customers in 11 counties. A subsidiary of Puget Energy, PSE meets the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service and delivering energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. For more information, visit www.PSE.com.