In the United States (US), San Francisco-based waste and energy developer Brightmark Energy, LLC (Brightmark) has recently announced that it has partnered with four dairy farms in central Florida to build and operate three anaerobic digesters that will convert a total of 230 000 tonnes of dairy manure per year from 9 900 cows into renewable natural gas (RNG). Brightmark will develop, own, and operate the project.
An error occurred
On your profile you can see what subscriptions you have access to and more information.
Is some of the information wrong – please contact our customer service.
Please reload the page
Do you want to read the whole article?
- Six editions per year
- Full access to all digital content
- The E-magazine Bioenergy international
- And more ...
The project includes the construction of three new anaerobic digesters serving four Larson family dairy farms in Okeechobee County, including two farms owned by Larson Dairy, Inc. and two farms owned by JM Larson, Inc. After the project is complete, the digesters are anticipated to generate about 171 000 MMBtu of renewable natural (RNG) gas each year. The RNG will be delivered into the local interstate pipeline system.
We’re proud to partner with the Larson family, who have a long history as dairy industry leaders in Florida. Projects like these help to provide additional revenue streams for farmers, reduce local air and water impacts and enhance the sustainability efforts of farmers, so this project is a win for the farmers and the local community. said Bob Powell, CEO of Brightmark.
The announcement is the latest in a series of biogas projects launched by Brightmark Energy in the past two years. The company also has active projects in Washington, Wisconsin, and New York. When the Larson project becomes operational at the end of 2021, Brightmark’s biogas projects will generate enough renewable natural gas to drive a bus 16,281,400 miles each year. The company is developing similar biogas projects nationwide.
We’re happy to welcome Brightmark Energy to Okeechobee County for such an innovative and important project partnering with our local dairy community, said Senator Ben Albritton, Chair of the Florida Senate Agriculture Committee.
According to Brightmark, anaerobic digestion (AD) of dairy cow manure has been shown to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The process prevents methane, a GHG, from being released into the atmosphere. This project will reduce the net GHG emissions from processed dairy manure at a rate of 57 400 tonnes per annum.
Anaerobic digestion is a potential new revenue source for dairy farms, so we’re thrilled to see this new partnership between Brightmark and the Larson family here in Florida, said Adam Basford, Director of State Legislative Affairs for the Florida Farm Bureau.
Participating farmer Woody Larson noted that “cows are the ultimate recyclers, creating wholesome milk from byproducts of the citrus, ethanol, brewing and textile industries. This technology now also allows us to convert manure to energy and improve the environment.”
Brightmark Energy has been a good partner in the development of this project. We are glad the technology and economics are coming together to support our environmental and sustainability goals, Larson added.
