Renewable Natural Gas Made From Animal Waste to Flow Through PG&E's
Pipelines
FRESNO, Calif., March 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pacific Gas and
Electric Company and BioEnergy Solutions today announced that their
biogas-to-pipeline injection project in Fresno County has begun production
of renewable natural gas derived from animal waste. It is the first project
in California that will deliver pipeline-quality, renewable natural gas to
a utility.
"With nearly two million dairy cows in California, there is great
potential for the state's agriculture and power sectors to work together to
address the challenges of climate change," said Roy Kuga, vice president of
energy supply at PG&E. "This project is yet another example of our
company's commitment to add innovative forms of clean renewable energy to
help meet our customers' future power needs."
Under a long-term contract approved by the California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC), BioEnergy Solutions will deliver up to three billion
cubic feet of renewable natural gas a year to PG&E.
A BioEnergy Solutions system reduces emissions of methane, a greenhouse
gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, by 70 percent on a 5,000-cow
dairy.
"We have developed an innovative way to bring dairies and power
companies together to generate a new source of green energy for
California," David Albers, president of BioEnergy Solutions, said. "Using
proven technologies, we design, build and operate highly-efficient biogas
systems that enable dairymen to meet new air quality requirements and help
utilities meet their goals for the production of energy from renewable
sources."
Vintage Dairy, the site of BioEnergy Solution's first project, is
located near the town of Riverdale in western Fresno County, California.
Manure from the dairy's 5,000 milk-producing cows and calves is flushed
into a covered lagoon -- equal in size to the area of nearly five football
fields and over three stories deep -- that traps the methane gas produced
as the manure decomposes. The methane is upgraded, or "scrubbed," to remove
corrosive materials to meet PG&E's industry-leading environmental standards
for power plants and then delivered to PG&E through the utility's pipeline.
PG&E uses the natural gas to deliver renewable electricity to its customers
in central and northern California.
BioEnergy Solutions is based in Bakersfield and was founded by David
Albers, a third-generation dairyman who also owns Vintage Dairy. The
company installs at its own expense the infrastructure needed to collect
and process the manure and then pump the gas into PG&E's pipeline.
BioEnergy also shares the proceeds from the sale of gas and resulting
emissions credits with dairy owners.
PG&E is a leader in utilizing biogas. In addition to the utility's
contract with BioEnergy Solutions, PG&E is working to cultivate the next
generation of biogas technologies through its biomethanation research
project. This recently launched project explores emerging biomethanation
technologies and processes that may increase conversion efficiency, expand
the range of usable feedstocks and improve the quality of biomethane
products.
PG&E expects to have 14 percent of its energy from renewable sources
that qualify under California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Program
in 2008. On average, more than 50 percent of the energy PG&E delivers comes
from carbon-free sources, and the utility now has contracts to provide 20
percent of its future energy supply from renewable sources. Qualifying
renewable sources in PG&E's portfolio include solar, wind, biomass,
geothermal, and small hydroelectric.
Since July 2007, PG&E has signed renewable energy contracts totaling
1,024 MW, including 57 MW of new geothermal energy with Calpine
Corporation, 553 MW of solar thermal with Solel-MSP-1, 85 MW of wind power
from PPM Energy, two MW of wave energy with Finavera Renewables, 177 MW of
solar thermal with Ausra Inc., and 150 MW of wind energy with enXco. PG&E
is still seeking regulatory approval for the Calpine, Finavera, Ausra and
enXco contracts.
California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Program requires each
utility to increase its procurement of eligible renewable generating
resources by one percent of load per year to achieve a 20 percent
renewables goal by 2010. The RPS Program was passed by the Legislature and
is managed by the CPUC and California Energy Commission.
For more information about BioEnergy Solutions, please visit the company's web
site at http://www.allbioenergy.com
For more information about Pacific Gas and Electric Company, please visit the
company's web site at http://www.pge.com
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