Iowa Power Fund awards $1.1M for methane digester
Posted: Friday, October 10, 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The Iowa Power Fund board has awarded a $1.1 million grant to the Amana Society to convert methane into fuel.
The society is building a methane digester in Amana to convert methane from livestock manure into fuel to power electrical generators.
The board will negotiate a contract with the society that will address concerns that the society's proposal may not meet the Power Fund's mission of funding education, research and innovation.
"This is a great project, but I'd have a greater comfort level if we were getting more education," said Thomas Wind, a member of the Power Fund board.
The society's proposal indicates some of the money would be used for driveways, restrooms and a visitor center. The grant covers about 20 percent of the $5 million cost of the digester.
Amana Society President John Peterson says the project could be a model for more than 3,600 livestock operations in Iowa.
Peterson said animal waste disposal is a frequent and controversial issue, and using animal waste for fuel is a way to reduce carbon emissions from coal-fired generators.
The society would share future carbon tax credits with the Power Fund if they are approved by Congress, Peterson said.
No date was set for the completion of the contract.
The digester will use manure from the 2,500 head of cattle at the Amana Society's farms. It's designed to use manure from about 20 percent of its feedstock. The rest will come from biomass waste products from several manufacturers in Cedar Rapids, Peterson said.
The society has 6,700 acres of pasture and 7,000 acres of crops, and its own utility, Peterson said.
"This would be the perfect place to test the concept of renewable biomass energy," he said.
The society is building a methane digester in Amana to convert methane from livestock manure into fuel to power electrical generators.
The board will negotiate a contract with the society that will address concerns that the society's proposal may not meet the Power Fund's mission of funding education, research and innovation.
"This is a great project, but I'd have a greater comfort level if we were getting more education," said Thomas Wind, a member of the Power Fund board.
The society's proposal indicates some of the money would be used for driveways, restrooms and a visitor center. The grant covers about 20 percent of the $5 million cost of the digester.
Amana Society President John Peterson says the project could be a model for more than 3,600 livestock operations in Iowa.
Peterson said animal waste disposal is a frequent and controversial issue, and using animal waste for fuel is a way to reduce carbon emissions from coal-fired generators.
The society would share future carbon tax credits with the Power Fund if they are approved by Congress, Peterson said.
No date was set for the completion of the contract.
The digester will use manure from the 2,500 head of cattle at the Amana Society's farms. It's designed to use manure from about 20 percent of its feedstock. The rest will come from biomass waste products from several manufacturers in Cedar Rapids, Peterson said.
The society has 6,700 acres of pasture and 7,000 acres of crops, and its own utility, Peterson said.
"This would be the perfect place to test the concept of renewable biomass energy," he said.
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