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Proven Source of Energy Remains Largely Untapped on NYS Dairy Farms

epa.gov

Representatives from nearly ten local environmental and energy groups gathered Monday in Syracuse to discuss the best ways to expand upon a relatively untapped method of renewable energy for New York Dairy farms.  Ed Bogucz is with the Syracuse Center of Excellence. 

"Anaerobic digesters are a technology that take manure and convert that to gas, which can be used for heating or producing electricity.  It's a proven technology that's used around the world."

But not so much in New York.  Only 28 of New York’s nearly 3,600 dairy farms use this system, and another twelve have received approval for funding.

"The challenge now is to find technologies that will work at a cost that can be widely deployed."

Credit Michael Mulford / WAER News
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WAER News
Left to right: Kevin King, Deputy Commissioner NYS Dept. Agriculture and Markets; Janet Joseph, Senior VP Strategy and Market Development with NYSERDA; and, Jared Snyder, Deputy DEC Commissioner Air, Resources, Climate Change, and Energy.

He says farmers need to see the value of the benefits if they are going to be willing to spend the money on the technology.  Bob Catell with the Advanced Energy Center at Stony Brook University says anaerobic digesters will go a long way toward the state’s goal of having half of its energy come from renewable sources. 

"These goals along with the need to replace aging infrastructure have opened opportunities to develop new approaches to treating organic waste, and transforming the liability of organic waste into positive energy,  environmental and economic value."

But Deputy DEC Commissioner Jared Snyder says the largest value might be combating climate change, which could impact the state’s farms. 

"We'll see more intense storm events.  We'll see more drought.  We'll see increased heat, which can have an impact on farming operations, including dairy farms.  This is really a priority in New York to address."

Last year, the state invested $38 million into the dairy industry alone, and spends billions annually to transport fossil fuels to these farms among others.  

Credit smallfarms.cornell.edu

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.