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How Efficient Is It To Turn Cow Manure Into Electricity?

Story Published: Nov 7, 2011 at 6:01 PM EDT

Story Updated: Nov 7, 2011 at 7:27 PM EDT

In one end and out the other - for the past four years, a farm in Adams has been using cow manure to make electricity.

"And gradually, we've been fine tuning it and doing a better job," said Doug Shelmidine, owner of Sheland Dairy Farm.

The $1.4 million system, built with the help of state grants, heats manure to produce methane, which is then burned to produce electricity.

Shelmidine is saving about $60,000 a year on electricity and the byproduct, used as bedding, saves him about the same."

But is the system working as efficiently as it could?

A new lab, right at the farm, puts the science in manure and should provide some answers.

"Now we're getting into a situation where we're looking at the biology of the system and making sure that it's performing at better levels," said Shelmidine.

The testing uses before and after samples of manure from Shelmidine's system.

Cornell University got a state grant to outfit five farms with these labs and is waiting to see the results.

"We're going to give them feedback and try to have a network between the farmers that are doing this to get the data incorporation between them," said Rodrigo Labatut, a Cornell University Research Associate.

Shelmidine's first two tests indicate there may be room for improvement.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
, Watertown, NY

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