Peaks Renewables Dairy Digester: Turning Maine Farm Waste into Renewable Natural Gas

thebusinessdownload.com

by clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 points

Peaks Renewables has launched a community anaerobic digester in Clinton, Maine, to convert dairy manure into renewable natural gas. The facility sources organic waste from several local farms, processing up to 175,000 gallons of manure daily to produce biogas for the existing pipeline grid. This project reduces methane emissions and provides a low-carbon heating alternative for residential and business customers in Augusta, Waterville, and Madison. The initiative also returns nutrient-rich fertilizer to the participating farms and includes a DOE-funded pilot for biomethane-hydrogen technology.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Interesting look at RNG in Maine. They are using existing pipes to swap out heating oil for biogas. The 28,000 metric ton emissions cut is a solid start for a regional project.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

The infrastructure part is the real win here. Using the existing gas grid avoids the massive cost of new distribution. I wonder what the actual capacity factor of that digester is during winter peaks.

retrofit_lens_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Glad to see them mentioning the switch from oil to gas. In Maine, that oil dependency is a huge hurdle. The real question is how much the efficiency rebates actually lowered the payback period for those homeowners.

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

The voluntary renewable program where customers pay a fee for attributes is basically a micro-market for carbon offsets. It is a simple way to fund the gap between RNG and standard gas costs.

eco_tracker_99·4 months ago·1 pts

The loop with the fertilizer going back to the farms is the best part. It turns a waste problem into a circular system for the dairy farmers while cutting methane.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

True, but the logistics of hauling 175,000 gallons of manure daily adds its own carbon footprint. I would like to see the net emissions math including the transport trucks.