Wisconsin Electric/Wisconsin Gas and Ag Environmental Solutions recently opened Wisconsin’s first fully operational manure-to-energy digester facility, located at Tinedale Farms in Wrightstown. The 750-kilowatt power plant uses a “digester” to convert the manure to methane, which is then burned to generate electricity. The manure comes from 1,800 milk cows at Tinedale Farms and generates enough electricity to power 250 homes. The facility will burn about 300,000 cubic feet of methane gas each day, reducing the odors from the farm by more than 90 percent.
Capturing methane from animal waste has important environmental and aesthetic benefits. Methane is twenty times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Capturing and burning it to produce electricity reduces its negative environmental impact while providing a reliable source of renewable energy. For more information, contact Wisconsin Energy Corp. at 414/221-4444.
