Any other ideas? Seemingly anything can be used to generate electricity these days.
PG&E begins tapping into cow power
PG&E customers will get natural gas from cow manure for the first time today.
In a ceremony at Vintage Dairy, a 1,700-acre dairy farm in Riverdale, not far from Fresno, officials from the utility, the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture and the Energy Commission will join David Albers of BioEnergy Solutions to turn a valve that will send the first of 3 billion cubic feet of natural gas a year into a pipeline.
That’s enough gas to create electricity for 50,000 California homes, and comes from 5,000 cows. The potential for turning waste to energy is vast. “There are nearly 2 million dairy cows in California,” said Jennifer Zerwer, a Pacific Gas & Electric spokeswoman.
PG&E calls it “cow power,” capturing methane released from covered lagoons of cow manure and sending the natural gas into pipelines where it’ll be burned to generate electricity. It’s all part of a state-mandated push to get more energy from renewable sources.
Learn more about this and other programs on PG&E’s Clean Energy Solutions web page.
N.C. hog farms to produce electricity
Swine farm operators in North Carolina can now register to participate in a methane capture pilot program. North Carolina is the second largest hog producing state in the country; in 2006, hog populations topped 9.5 million.
Members of the swine industry first voiced interest in methane-capture programs to state legislators which spurred legislation requiring a percentage of renewable energy to be generated by methane from hog farms.
The Swine Farm Environmental Performance Standards Act of 2007 authorized a methane capture pilot program that will allow up to 50 swine farm operators to sell electricity generated from methane held in onsite lagoons. The program was passed by the state senate in July 2007 as part of Senate Bill 1465.
I would never have guessed that NC is #2 in hog production. Does anyone know who is #1? The 9.5 million hogs slightly outnumber the 9 million humans also living in the state.
Moon Power:Finavera Renewables Granted FERC Preliminary Permit For Proposed 100MW Coos County Wave Energy Project in Oregon
Finavera Renewables Inc., is pleased to announce it has been issued a Preliminary Permit for its proposed 100MW Coos County, Oregon wave energy project. The permit approval was granted by the United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (”FERC”). The preliminary permit is valid for a period of three years, and allows Finavera Renewables to conduct various studies, including analyses of oceanographic conditions, commercial and recreational activities, and other impacts potentially associated with the planned project. The company will rely on the studies and stakeholder consultations in framing its application to FERC for a project operating license.
Alla Weinstein, Director and General Manager, Ocean Energy said, “The Coos County project is part of the next step along our path to the commercialization of wave energy. Permitting activities for this project will be based on our experience gained in the Makah Bay pilot project, which is the first wave energy project to file for a FERC operating license. This project is designed to meet the State of Oregon’s policy to invest in and support the growth of clean and renewable energy sources for the people of Oregon. We look forward to working closely with the local community to ensure a successful project.”
The proposed Coos County project would use interconnected clusters of the company’s patented AquaBuOY wave energy devices. The project would have a generating capacity of 100MW, and total annual generation from the project is estimated to be approximately 175 gigawatt-hours per-year, which is sufficient electricity to power approximately 15,000 American homes.
Here’s a video about the technology.
Learn more about Finavera Wave Projecs and Wave Technology.