Energy company to convert manure into renewable natural gas at local dairy farms

Feb. 5, 2020

A San Francisco-based company is partnering with three Sioux Falls-area dairy farms to convert manure into renewable natural gas.

Brightmark, a waste and energy development company, has signed a manure supply agreement with Boadwine Farms Inc. and Moody County Dairy LP to capture methane produced by nearly 12,000 dairy cows and heifers and convert it into renewable natural gas, or RNG. The project is anticipated to produce 217,000 MMBtu of RNG each year, which is equivalent to the amount of fuel needed to drive 2,492 vehicles for a year.

The Athena renewable natural gas project will include the construction of new anaerobic digesters on three Minnehaha County farms: Boadwine Farms, Pioneer Dairy and Moody Dairy. The 11,710 dairy cows and heifers that live on these farms produce a total of 55.6 million gallons of manure each year. After the project is complete, the methane generated by this manure will be captured, cleaned and converted into RNG, which can be used for transportation cooking or electricity. The gas will be injected into the local interstate pipeline system for use statewide.

Brightmark anaerobic digesters at a dairy farm in the state of Washington.

“Brightmark is pleased to launch our first project in South Dakota,” CEO Bob Powell said in a statement. “Our team specializes in deploying energy technologies that turn waste into productive, sustainable energy solutions, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to bring anaerobic digestion to the state.”

Brightmark is developing the project, and the company will own and operate it upon completion.

Dairy-derived RNG packs major benefits for the climate, the company said in its statement. It is the lowest carbon-intensity transportation fuel available because it greatly reduces the emission of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from lagoon-stored manure and wastewater. The Athena project is anticipated to prevent 64,567 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year, which is equivalent to planting 76,000 acres of forest each year.

“As dairy farmers, we can be part of the solution in helping the environment,” said Lynn Boadwine, owner of Boadwine Dairy. “ The digester projects are a win-win because we have the ability to further process the manure, while reducing greenhouse gasses.

“Agriculture continually evolves. Our improvements in sustainability in the last generation are just short of incredible. Unfortunately, we don’t often tell our story. We are looking forward to partnering with Brightmark to bring these next-generation projects to South Dakota.”

This is the latest in a series of biogas projects launched by Brightmark in the past two years. The company also has active projects in Wisconsin, Washington, South Carolina and New York and is developing others. When the Athena project becomes operational, Brightmark’s biogas projects will generate enough renewable natural gas to provide all energy needed for 5,432 homes each year.

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Energy company to convert manure into renewable natural gas at local dairy farms

A San Francisco-based company is partnering with three Sioux Falls-area dairy farms to convert manure into renewable natural gas.

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