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November 25, 2005
Energy policy in production
I think that there are many good examples of technologies that could be used for energy reduction / production along with farm operations. The following is just one example. If you have a good example, send it to me (wrolley@charter.net) and I will post it.
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When farmers are willing to think seriously about the energy costs of their operation they can often find creative ways to produce their own energy while reducing the polluting effects of their operation. One very good example comes from the small dairy operation of Marin County, CA, dairy operator Albert Straus. Strauss has installed a methane digester system at his 270 cow dairy farm. The methane produced is used to power, among other things, a 75 kilowatt electric generator.
This story was originally publised in the San Francisco Chronicle. This story was recently updated by San Francisco's CBS affiliate KPIX Ch. 5 this week. Straus Farms has saved over half of their initial investment in the 18 months that they have been in operation. I am trying to get access to a video of that segment and will place the link here if successful.
Note: there are two things that make this viable: net metering and some offset of the original capital cost. The most important is the California net metering law, a subject that has been discussed on ruralgreen email list, especially as it relates to Michigan and their utilities.
Posted by Wes at November 25, 2005 05:10 PM
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