Methane digesters are becoming more common on Vermont dairy farms. Interest has increased recently as a result of the Vermont SPEED program, which provides incentives to utilities to buy power from renewable resources, such as farm methane, and specifies minimum rates to be paid to producers.
How many farm methane projects are there? The EPA's AgSTAR Program shows 151 farm methane projects operating in the U.S., eight in Vermont. The web site for the CVPS Cow Power program has additional information about several of the Vermont farm methane projects. For a list of pending applications in Vermont, go to the Vermont SPEED web site, click on "Applications being Processed" and look in the farm methane section.
Computer companies such as Google and Microsoft are becoming interested in electricity from farm methane digesters to run computing centers, especially in the west. See this interesting New York Times article from 5/18/10:
One Moos and One Hums, but They Could Help Power Google
Closer to home, Middlebury College is planning to use methane generated from local dairy farm manure not for electricity but for heat. See this news release from 5/12/10:
Middlebury College and Vermont farm energy company partner to explore use of bio-methane gas at the college
For more background and perspective on farm methane digesters, especially in northern Vermont, this 3/19/10 article by Bethany Dunbar is interesting: Confessions of a methane junky. She writes about the methane digesters at Maxwell's Neighborhood Farm, Chaput Family Farms, and the Rowells in Sheldon. (Note: Representative Chris Bray's bill H.566 mentioned in the article did not pass the Vermont Legislature.)
