Resources & Links

Resources & Links are organized into seven categories:

Case Studies
Digesters workshop
General Digester Resources
Minnesota Resources
Financing
Businesses/Organizations
Publications

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Methane Recovery from Animal Manures: A Current Opportunities Casebook, 2.7mb pdf. This is a 1998 publication from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at the Department of Energy. Contains much useful information on anaerobic digesters, and descriptions of the operating experience of over 20 digesters installed across the United States.

Anaerobic Digester Lagoon with Methane Gas Recovery: First year Management and Economics: Perdue University's case study of anaerobic digester lagoons, including detailed technical information. Also includes practical advice on steps toward planning for and building your own lagoon.

Final Report: Swine USA Useful case study of an Iowa hog farm that installed a digester in 1999.

Benefits, Costs and Operating Experience at Seven New Agricultural Anaerobic Digesters, 116KB pdf. A 1998 publication, covering plug flow, complete mix, and covered lagoon digesters.

Langerwerf Dairy in Durham, California A 400-cow dairy plug-flow digester, in operation for over 16 years.

Digesters in Ireland From the Practically Green web site.

AgSTAR's guide to operational systems Information on 40 digesters across the United States.

Agricutlural Biogas Casebook 2004 Update, 2.19mb pdf. The Great Lakes Regional Biomass Energy Program has updated the 2002 casebook to include updates on the 19 farms originally profiled in 2002, with an additional profile of a new project in the region. The information contained in the casebook is incredibly useful information detailing operations that are operational or in the construction phase on anaerobic digestion. Costs, biogas and electrical output, and operation experience are included when available.

Digester case studies from the Clean Energy Resource Teams

Blue Spruce Farm, Bridport, Vermont: 1,200 dairy cow operation that received a USDA Rural Development grant to install an anaerobic digester.

Julian Barham farrow-to-wean Farm, Zebulon, North Carolina, pdf : Ambient temperature anaerobic digester and greenhouse for swine waste treatment and bioresource recovery.

Vermont Public Service, pdf : Quarterly report on Vermont's Farm Methane Project.

Economics and Feasibility of Electricity Generation using Manure Digesters on Small and Mid-Size Dairy Farms, pdf : University of Wisconsin analysis containing bottom line economics for digesters installed and operated at different farm sizes.

Vermont Farm Methane Project, pdf : a state initiative to develop techniques and technologies to make anaerobic digestion available to a variety of farm sizes and management styles.

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Digesters for Managing Animal Waste: A practical workshop

On August 2002, The Minnesota Project hosted a workshop on anaerobic digesters in St. Cloud Minnesota, attended by 150 people.

Agenda and contents of resource binder, 136kb pdf file.

Request workshop packet In addition to the presentations from the workshop presenters, a wealth of information on financing, case studies and general digester information is included. CD-rom is $10.00.

Workshop presentations

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General Digester Resources

Manure Use for Fertilizer and for Energylink
A report from the USDA to Congress, released June 2009.

Jerry and Linda Jennisen Interview
A 6-8 minute interview with Jerry and Linda Jennisen about how they got interested in a digester, the construction process, etc.  It is a really good interview and slideshow.

Fact Sheet: Resources on Anaerobic Digestion, 22kb pdf. Where to get the information you need to get started.

AgSTAR AgSTAR is a cooperative effort by several U.S. government agencies to promote and provide accurate information on manure digester systems. Many useful documents can be downloaded, including the AgSTAR handbook (a comprehensive guide to those considering a digester). There is also a software package available for analyzing the economics of digesters. AgSTAR also staffs a hotline -- 1-800-AgSTAR, you need to leave a message and they will call you back.

AURI digester web site The Agricultural Utilization and Research Institute (AURI) has a very useful "Self Screening Checklist" for evaluating if a digester is right for you.

Biogas Works: An extremely comprehensive site. Includes a history of anaerobic digestion; recent news items about AD; reports, studies, and presentations (including policy information); resources; and yet more useful links.

Midwest Rural Energy Council, digester site Contains many useful links, as well as information on the Wisconsin Biogas Development Group.

National Food and Energy Council A wealth of information about agricultural methane recovery.

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Minnesota Resources

AURI digester web site

Minnesota Department of Commerce, Energy Division In addition to information on state policy, they also have a chart of renewable energy production incentives.

Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Development Division Information on Minnesota's digester loan program.

Minnesota Milk Producers

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, feedlot program

East Central Energy East Central Energy is the first utility in the nation to offer customers the choice of "cow power" on their electric bill.

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Financing

Renewable Energy Financing Fact Sheet, 95kb pdf. Fact sheet from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on loan and grant programs available to farmers.

Economics Fact Sheet, 37kb pdf. Learn the basics of digester economics.

Minnesota production incentive, 20kb pdf. This is an application form from the Minnesota Department of Commerce (DOC) for the State of Minnesota's 1.5 cent/kilowatt hour production incentive for digester owners. For more information, contact the DOC's Jeremy DeFiebre.

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Businesses/Organizations

AD - NETT AD-NETT is a network of professionals working in anaerobic digestion of agro-industrial wastes in Europe and Canada.

Anergen

Digester e-mail list serve on the Solstice web page. Subscribe or just look at what other people have posted.

Environmental Energy Company

Environomics, Inc.

Microgy

RCM Digesters

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Publications

The Economics and Feasibility of using Anaerobic Digesters, pdf on Small and Mid-size Dairy Farms (pdf file) Study from University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Dairy Waste Anaerobic Digestion Handbook, pdf Written by a private company that builds digesters, Environmental Energy Company.

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