CDFA secretary Karen Ross (second from left in photo) joined in the applause last week following the ribbon cutting for the first fuel cell dairy digester project in the nation at Bar 20 Dairy in Fresno County.
Methane from the digester — produced by California Bioenergy in partnership with Bloom Energy — will be used to generate renewable electricity to power BMW electric vehicles. Carbon emission reductions due to the digester are the equivalent of providing renewable energy to 17,000 electric vehicles each year.
The project is an example of innovation that will help meet the Global Methane Pledge, an initiative to reduce global methane emissions to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. The Pledge was announced by last week at COP26 by President Biden and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
This digester/fuel cell project is funded in part by CDFA’s Dairy Digester Development and Research Program.
Others in the photo are, from left, Carl Guardino, Bloom Energy; Ross Buckenham, California Bioenergy; John, Stephen, Richard and Scott Shehadey, Bar 20 Dairy; and Adam Langton, BMW.
See a news report about this innovative digester project on ABC-30 TV, Fresno.