PG&E Will Generate Electricity from Manure Methane

Date: March 17, 2008

Source: News Room

Northern California's Pacific Gas & Electric utility and Bakersfield-based BioEnergy Solutions have teamed up to produce pipeline-grade biomethane from manure. The initial project involves a dairy farm near Riverdale, CA. According to BioEnergy COO Tom Hintz, "It's the first facility ever to combine a biologic process to remove hydrogen sulfide (yielding pure sulfur that can be sold as fertilizer) and pressure swing absorption (PSA) for carbon dioxide removal, yielding a high-grade fuel with no hazardous waste and no need for a hazardous waste permit."

The process is capable of producing gas that's 99% methane. PG&E says that the Vintage Dairy-fed BioEnergy installation is the "first project in California that will deliver pipeline-quality, renewable natural gas to a utility." BioEnergy Solutions will deliver as much as 3 billion cubic feet of RNG per year to PG&E under a long-term contract. PG&E will burn the gas to generate electricity and needs renewable energy credits under the current California regulatory scheme.

To learn more:
BioEnergy Solutions: www.allbioenergy.com.
Pacific Gas & Electric: www.pge.com.

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