A recent Manure-to-Energy symposium drew a diverse group of scientists, academics, policy-makers, technology vendors, and farmers. Despite differing perspectives, they agreed that production of manure-generated methane is an underdeveloped area that has potential for (1) helping financially strapped farmers and (2) improving water quality by reducing chemical runoff from fields that are being over-fertilized.
Manure-based energy operations can be located on farms and sometimes be supplemented by “green waste” like spoiled or expired food. They may be developed on any scale and be run by community cooperatives or commercial businesses, among others. Farmers who use manure to produce energy on their farms can use that power for their buildings and farming equipment, generating significant savings on electricity and heating costs.
In some states, farmers can sell surplus manure-generated energy to the utilities that manage their local grids or on the wholesale market. And at least two states--Pennsylvania and Maryland -- have implemented model “virtual metering,” projects that bolster energy prices by allowing producers to aggregate energy produced by all their methane meters, rather than only those that are physically connected. Advocates urge state legislatures to make the industry more profitable by allowing producers to sell energy credits as is done for other forms of renewable energy.
The policy options that garnered the most support from symposium participants were:
- prioritizing outreach, funding, and technical assistance for manure-to-energy projects that also address water quality;
- encouraging long-term purchase agreements for manure-based energy;
- realigning federal and state funding programs to give preference to projects with an explicit link to water quality goals; and
- for air permitting purposes, classifying manure as a “non-waste” instead of “solid waste”
