Poo Power To Provide 25% of US Forest Service’s Electricity
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY 
on 10.22.08
While we’ve covered both consumer green energy programs and the animal waste-to-electricity projects a number of times, this is the first combination of them that I’ve seen. And I can thank action by the US Forest Service for bringing it to my attention.
The Forest Service has announced that it will be offsetting 25% of its electricity usage through payments made to the Vermont-based CVPS Cow Power. Cow Power receives a $0.04 premium for each kilowatt-hour of electricity offset; which means that the Forest Service’s electric bill with be $2100 higher next year.
The Cow Power program works pretty much like any other consumer green energy program:
Poo Power For Consumers
For every kilowatt-hour requested by customers and provided by a Vermont farm, CVPS will pay the farmer the market price for energy plus the Cow Power charge of 4 cents for the environmental benefits of the generation. If not enough kilowatt-hours are available from participating CVPS farms, CVPS will attempt to acquire and retire Renewable Energy Certificates from other regional renewable generation, issued by the regional system operator, to support renewable generation in a broader sense. If no certificates are available in the regional market for 4 cents per kWh or less, the company will deposit Cow Power payments into the CVPS Renewable Development Fund. This fund, overseen by an independent board, will provide incentives to farmers to stimulate further renewable farm generation in the CVPS service area. CVPS will not profit from the program.
More information on how you can enroll visit: CVPS Cow Power
Poo Power
A Dung Deal: Making Power From Poop
Two on Poo Power: Netherlands and Greece Do Wonders With Waste
Zoo Poo Power: Elephant Dung for Electricity
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Green Glossary: Bagasse
- 5 Reuses for Altoid Tins
- Forget Going Green Because It's the Right Thing to Do—Go Green to Make Your Neighbors Jealous
- Cooking on a Budget: Use Everything
- Did You Know Saving Water = Saving Electricity?
- Yes, There is Such a Thing as an Optimistic, Green American: Be One!
What a surprise, these are FACTORY FARMS! Animal waste to power projects are an expensive boondoggle, designed to help factory farms manage their unsustainable waste production.
This is a feedlot where cows are confined and fed corn. That's not green. It is green washing. You call this stuff out in other articles.
Are you just posting corporate press releases now?
If they were smart and truly interested in conservation/green initiatives they would make the inital investments and build there own animal waste- to- electric power facility so that they could save money in the long run not just add to the bill.. Plus its much more environmentally friendly to actually do something yourself than it is to just throw money at the problem by buying offsets
If the Forest Service cares about global warming maybe they should stop logging old growth forests. The Fish & Wildlife says that 150,000 acres of old forest habitat was logged on federal lands in the northwest over the last 15 years.
Up through 1990, more than 1.5 billion metric tons of net carbon emissions were caused by the conversion of old growth forests to 60 year rotation forests in western Washington and western Oregon. The westside forests of Oregon and Washington represent only .017% of global land area but emitted an astounding 2% of global carbon emissions from land use. Put another way ... in the century preceding 1990 the logging binge on the westside of Oregon and Washington caused 100 times more carbon emissions from land use activities compared to the global average for similar sized areas. Harmon, M., Ferrell, W., and J. Franklin. 1990. Effects on Carbon Storage of Conversion of Old-Growth to Young Forests. Science. 9 February 1990.