New system to turn cow manure into green gold
Dairy farmers across Australia could soon be turning effluent into energy thanks to a new invention being developed under the Victorian Government’s $28 million Smart SMEs Market Validation Program.
Launching the Creative Innovation 2010 Conference today, Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings said turning waste into products such as biofuels would benefit the environment, agricultural producers and Victoria’s economy.
“Under the $28 million Smart SMEs Market Validation Program Victorian company Algae Enterprises will receive almost $1.5 million to pilot the new technology that will help reduce farm waste and provide agricultural producers with a new energy source,” Mr Jennings said.
“The project will enable a more environmentally friendly and cost effective dairy effluent system to assist dairy farmers in generating renewable energy, irrigation water and bio products.
“This will help to increase economic efficiencies for dairy farmers, reducing the cost of energy and helping to future-proof their businesses against future energy prices through promoting increased self-sufficiency.
“The dairy effluent management project will trial an anaerobic bio-digester for biogas production as well algae cultivation technologies for possible production of bio products including biofuels.
“Furthermore the technology is not just limited to dairy farmers and could be applied to other agricultural industries that rely on livestock – promoting possible export opportunities for Victoria which will create an economic boost and jobs across the state.”
Algae Enterprises will conduct the pilot project at the Department of Primary Industries’ Ellinbank facility and work in partnership with Monash University.
“The project promises to supply dairy-farmers with evidence of this cost-effective solution while increasing process efficiencies to provide a complete closed carbon loop of zero emissions,” Mr Jennings said.
The Smart SMEs Market Validation Program is a demand-led research and development program assisting small to medium businesses develop new technologies.
Great to hear the Victorian Government is getting behind their dairy farmers.
The anaerobic digesters are something which are up and running in the U.K and I am sure in other countries as well. My understanding is limited but what I understand is that the slurry is used to start the anaerobic digestion and used to keep it going but I also understand that instead of growing grass for silage to feed to the cows it can be used to feed the digester plant. You can also use whole crop cereals. I think the underpinning point of the viability of any of these carbon neutral systems is the price that you will get for the electricity produced.
The biggest hurdles in my mind is the capital required and mindset. The capital is easy if the figures stack up and the mindset is helped by this too.
What the U.K has recently done is to guarantee the feed-in tariffs for the next 20 years, the rate varies depending on the size of your plant. This is a huge call on the U.Ks front but what it has meant is that there is now a whole new businesses market appeared for farmers, a change in mindset and the bottom line is that there is money being generated which can be put into development of new more efficient ways to develop electricity.
The money also ends up with the farmers, supporting their rural communities.
I think it is great that the Victorian Government is getting behind their farmers in this development. I am not sure but I have heard that in W.A we can get a rural feed-in tariff for solar power if we are towards the end of the power grid which Margaret River is and we have plenty of dairies in the South West so why are more farmers not investigating all the alternatives?
Benji
The Margaret River Guide