Caledonia Argus
Posted: 11/21/06
Five people and five pigs can supply the energy needs of a family in China. That was one of several interesting alternative energy options described at a mini-conference at Four Seasons Community Center in Caledonia on November 16.
An afternoon session which about 20 people attended focused on anaerobic digesters and energy saving ideas. The evening one dealt with wind energy, both on-site and off-site. Anaerobic digestion is a process that produces biogas from decomposing manure. The gas can be used to create energy.
Most of the anaerobic digesters discussed were for large scale dairy farms. A 500-cow herd is a minimum, moderator John Benton said in his opening comments. That can be reduced to 200 cows using an Andigen methane digester, speaker Mark Riemer said later. The cost per animal is higher with this option, he said.
But perhaps the most intriguing operation was the tiny one in China that Steve Fruechte of Caledonia described. Fruechte talked while showing slides that he took during a trip to China in February of 2006. It was part of the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership program.
The basic concept was that manure went into a pit and the family collected the methane gas that came off it, Fruechte said. Family members used a mechanical control to run a hot plate and hot pot. They heated and cooked with it, and even ran lights using wicks that resembled those in a Coleman lantern, Fruechte said.
There were electric lights in the house, but the families try to use gas lights whenever they can, Fruechte said. “It really took me by surprise,” he said. Benton said more than once that digesters can be a good option for Third World countries that don’t have an electric grid. “You’ve got a village, you’ve got an energy source,” he said.
Neil Kennebeck, director of planning services for Dairyland Power Cooperative, joked about that aspect of energy production. “You throw down some baked beans and sauerkraut and your body’s going to generate methane in about a day,” he said.
But Dairyland’s focus is on a much larger scale. They have helped set up three farms with digesters, and two are in the process of being developed. Another 23 farms are waiting, Kennebeck said.
Digesters are producing electricity for 6.5-7 cents per kilowatt hour. “It’s too high,” Kennebeck said. “We are a wholesale electric supplier. We have to supply if for less than six cents.” Digesters are a good fit for dealing with ag waste, which is an important aspect as animal confinement areas get bigger, Kennebeck said.
They can also reduce odors and pathogens, Benton said, and they are not using fossil fuels to generate energy. But digesters also carry a big financial investment with a long payback period, both Benton and Kennebeck said.
Hydrogen fuel cell
In a related presentation, Richard Huelskamp from the University of Minnesota talked about producing electricity from a hydrogen fuel cell at the Haubenschield Dairy in Princeton, Minnesota. The fuel cell is powered by methane gas from cow manure in an anaerobic digester on the farm.
Fuel cells work by having hydrogen that was in the methane freed up inside the fuel cell. Hydrogen and oxygen end up on opposite sides of a series of plates coated with a proprietary 3M chemical. A voltage difference between the sides of the plates is created, causing electrons to flow. The electron flow is the electricity.
Hydrogen is seen as an attractive alternative to fossil fuels since it doesn’t release carbon dioxide or harmful greenhouse gases. There is no combustion in the process. It is expensive to implement, and the cost per kilowatt is high, Huelskamp said. It has a 10 year time line for affordability, he added.
Practical advice too
Larry Landherr gave the most practical advice about saving energy at the afternoon program. He is the chairperson for the southeastern Minnesota chapter of Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs).
The organization’s goal is to promote clean, renewable, safe, and reliable energy, he said. Energy efficient appliances and fluorescent lights are two good ideas, Landherr said. “There’s a variety of ways to do that, but they’re all money-makers,” he said.
For example: “Get rid of that refrigerator in the garage to hold the beer.” It’s probably 25 years old with blown gaskets. “You could probably go down the street and buy your beer at the bar and save money,” Landherr said.
He stressed the economic benefits of conservation too. Minnesotans are spending about $15 billion annually on energy, and most of that is leaving the state. “That’s money that could stay here and get recycled in the economy,” he said. Landherr would also like to see a shift to renewable energy. It’s the right thing to do, he said. “It’s jobs, jobs, and jobs,” he said.
So how do you get there? Turbines, wind, solar, biomass, biodiesel, geothermal, and biogas are some options, Landherr said in answer to his own question. Efficiency in your home is important too, he said. Compact fluorescent bulbs are five times more efficient than incandescent bulbs. Turning down the temperature on your water heater from its factory setting of 140 degrees to 125 degrees will also save money, Landherr said.
Gary Larson from the USDA office in Caledonia also spoke about the Environmental Quality Incentives program
The evening session speakers were Joe Deden, executive director of Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center; Bruce Anderson, Renew Northfield; and Mike Pieper, who works with renewable energy for Johnson Controls. Nick Nichols, environmental coordinator for Gundersen Lutheran Health Systems, was the evening moderator.
The program was presented by the Houston County EDA, its commercial-industrial and ag-business subcommittee, and CERTs Southeastern Minnesota.
EDA director Joyce Iverson can provide contact information for any of the speakers. Her phone number is 507-725-3450. Her email is joyceiv@acegroup.cc
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