Wisconsin is the national leader in creating energy from cow manure - a subset of the growing renewable energy sector that plays into the state's abundance of dairy farms. But most of the systems are located on farms with larger herds than those in Dane County, where the average farm has fewer than 500 cows. "The private sector knows, because they are now making money in other digesters, that this is something that makes money," Falk said. "So we are hopeful that it will be a state-county-private partnership."
"The private sector knows, because they are now making money in other digesters, that this is something that makes money," Falk said. "So we are hopeful that it will be a state-county-private partnership."
Small dairy farms in Dane County would collaborate on making renewable electricity from cow manure under a proposal that has the backing of Gov. Jim Doyle and County Executive Kathleen Falk.
The proposal calls for construction of an $18 million anaerobic digester in the Waunakee area. The project would convert manure from five area farms into electricity. The project is envisioned as the first of at least two community "cow power" projects in Dane County, which is home to about 400 dairy farms.But the project also would reduce the flow of phosphorus into the county's streams and lakes that contributes to algae blooms on bodies of water such as Lake Mendota.
Doyle has proposed including $6.6million in state funds for the project, with the state dollars allocated for the phosphorus-removal equipment on a Waunakee waste-to-energy system and a second community digester that may be planned in the Middleton area.
"We're also going to go after federal stimulus money," she said. "We think it is ripe for this project."
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