The world is facing a global energy crisis, and it seems there is little we can do to overcome this challenge. However, there is still a hope, albeit a bold and unusual one.
In an effort to make the most of waste from farms, a Canadian company has decided to turn to the smelliest resource you can think of. That’s right, you get my point!
This biogas plant using cow manure helps eliminate 13,500 tons of emissions, equivalent to removing 2,900 cars from the roads each year.
Anaergia, a company specializing in providing clean energy solutions using organic waste globally, will build a biogas plant utilizing cow manure to produce renewable electricity. This facility will be located in Kasoka, Okayama, Japan, with the investment coming from the Japanese company Toyo Energy Solution.
The cow manure plant is expected to help eliminate approximately 13,500 tons of CO2 emissions from manure and fossil fuels, equivalent to removing 2,900 cars from operation every year.
“Waste, such as manure, solid organic waste in sewers, and food scraps, accounts for two-thirds of total methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that is 85 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Mitigating these sources of emissions must be seen as a key strategy in limiting global warming,” said Andrew Benedek, Chairman and CEO of Anaergia. “The new biogas energy plant will not only help Japan reduce methane emissions from manure but also decrease the demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in electricity generation. We hope to build more plants in Japan with our partner Toyo Energy Solution Co., Ltd. to help the country achieve its carbon reduction targets.”
250 tons of manure daily to generate electricity for 2,200 households each year
250 tons of anaerobically digested cow manure daily from farms in Okayama Prefecture will be used as biogas to power a combined heat and power (CHP) generation system. Once the fuel is introduced into the system, it will produce approximately 1.2 megawatts of clean renewable electricity. This amount of electricity is sufficient to serve around 2,200 households each year.
“Toyo Group is excited to partner once again with Anaergia to develop a new biogas plant, as they are a world leader in anaerobic digestion technology,” said Yoshimitsu Okada, Chairman of Toyo Group. “We expect to build more biogas plants with Anaergia to reduce greenhouse gases, produce renewable energy, and help Japan achieve its zero-emission target by 2050.”
