Cow Power – who knew?

Andersons' digester extracts methane from their cattle manure, and they supplement with other off-farm energy sources such as culled potatoes, grocery store waste, dog food waste, and slaughterhouse waste. The methane produced powers two engines that generate power which feeds into the grid and powers 500 homes in nearby Stratford.  For biosecurity reasons, all the off-farm products are pasteurized before being fed into the digester.

Aside from methane produced and trapped, the by-products include liquid manure and dry solids. The solids are used on the dairy operation as bedding for the cows, and the liquid manure is rich in crop nutrients and is applied carefully to the Anderson’s cropland according to Ontario’s nutrient management guidelines.  

The Andersons are dairy people, but realized the limitations of expanding their dairy enterprise to the scale needed to support their next generations who are eager to stay with the family business. The biogas digester seemed to fit nicely as a related business venture.   They have a 20-year contract with the Ontario Power Authority, and expect an 11-12 year payback on the capital cost of almost $4 million.

It’s interesting that the Andersons don’t use the power they generate – they sell it all. And why wouldn't they, if they can sell their power for 16 cents per kWh and buy cheaper power from the OPA grid for 12 cents.