COWPOWR is helping dairies increase income through biogas production from manure. But how is that done? How do we make money from manure biogas?
Dairy farmers know that biogas digesters capture methane from the natural degradation of manure. COWPOWR will build, own and operate these biogas digesters for the benefit of our members, sharing all net profits back to the farmers. But how is biogas turned into profit? By substituting cow gas for diesel fuel!
In the past, digester gas was used to fuel on-site electric power generators, typically manufactured from truck engines. The electricity was used by the farm and excess gas was flared. However, climate concerns have fueled a market for emission credits. Replacing diesel fuel is now the most profitable use for biogas. More information on that can be found at our May 20, 2024 update, "Financial Benefits of a Dairy Biogas Digester".
COWPOWR is working with digester developers to recover over 110 cubic feet per day of biogas from the typical 1200 lb. Holstein cow. That translates to almost 25 million Btu's of energy per year (25.75 MMBtu). That is the equivalent of over 185 gallons of diesel fuel! The 2018 Ford 150 3.0 liter diesel could go over 5,000 miles on a single cow!
We have dairies in the digester planning stage with over 135,000 MMBtu of biogas, or the equivalent of over 972,000 gallons of diesel. Our target goals for 2024 will take us to more than 2 million gallons. Membership applications are now open. For more information, or to join the interest list, click here...
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