SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — A California energy company plans to install technology at South Dakota dairy farms that will capture methane from manure and convert it into natural gas.
Three Sioux Falls-area dairy farms are signed on to the program that will create a new revenue stream for the farmers, generate a source of renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In a first for South Dakota, California-based renewable energy company Brightmark Energy announced plans on Feb. 5 to capture, refine and sell methane gas rising off the decaying manure produced at three dairy farms in Minnehaha County near Sioux Falls. The project could be the first of many renewable natural gas projects built at South Dakota dairy and hog farms and is being driven by rising demand for cleaner, more sustainable energy, experts say.
The Brightmark Energy project will collect manure from nearly 12,000 dairy cows at the Boadwine, Pioneer, and Moody County dairy farms. The manure will be placed in large, oxygen-free tanks and, essentially, left to rot. One of the byproducts of rotting manure is methane gas, a major component of natural gas. Brightmark expects to harvest enough gas each year to cover the annual energy needs of more than 2,400 homes.
In the latest piece published by South Dakota News Watch, available here, reporter Nick Lowrey reveals how the new system works and that the California company is already in discussions with other hog and dairy farmers in the state to expand the program.
