Green electricity from horse manure
By Alex Wilson 09/09/2010
Horse manure could soon be a somewhat surprising source of electricity to help power Ventura County. Planning is under way for the creation of a Waste to Energy Co-op that would build and operate a generation plant in the Ojai Valley to convert organic waste into green electricity.
Oxnard Gil’s Onions already uses similar technology to make electricity from onion waste, and decaying garbage currently generates electricity at the Toland Road Sanitary Landfill. But the one proposed in the Ojai Valley would be among the first to primarily use methane from horse manure.
Some of the other possible benefits to the Ojai Valley include reducing nitrate contamination from horse manure in the Ventura River, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions produced by methane from horse manure. Other beneficial byproducts of the process would include mulch and liquid fertilizer.
Project Coordinator Bill O’Brien says science has advanced so that creating energy from horse manure is more than just a pipe dream. “We found technology called biodigesters that are at a point where horse manure could be incorporated into a biodigester in order to create methane and get energy out of it,” says O’Brien. “Methane can be used to run turbines to make electricity, or it can be cleaned up and used as a natural gas. Or you can make biofuel out of it.”
O’Brien says improving water quality is another advantage of recycling horse manure through the proposed plant.
“We’re trying to come up with a positive alternative to taking care of a nutrient problem in the Ojai Valley. I’ve been part of different groups looking at the Ventura River watershed, and one of the problems there is algae and nutrients, especially from San Antonio Creek. One of the sources of that is horse manure,” says O’Brien.
The next step is a feasibility study to make sure the plan will pencil out financially. Preliminary estimates show the plant would cost about $6 million to build, and would pay for itself over five to 10 years. They’re looking for public support, grants and investors to help pay for the $80,000 study. They’re also seeking to partner with local government agencies.
Support from the owners of the valley’s estimated 2,000 horses will also be important, and they might share revenue generated by the electricity. “The only way this thing will work is if the ranchers really want to do it. We have to find a way to make it easy for them, so we’re looking at a collection system. Maybe creating an orange barrel that would be out there with the other bins people put out, and using the existing trash collection system or other haulers to bring it in to a central location,” says O’Brien.
Volunteers hold coffee meetings every other Wednesday in Ojai that interested people are welcome to attend. People who want to get involved in the plan can also call O’Brien directly at 658-6611.
“We’ve found a lot of interest in this, but I can tell it’s going to take some stubborn, persistent effort to get this thing actually going. A number of us are committed to that because we believe it’s a benefit to the valley, and a benefit to our energy situation and the watershed,” says O’Brien. “I think we can get enough volunteer support to keep a steady push on it. But to get it kicked into gear, we need professional people to do the study, and then an agency or co-op to make it really take off.”
outdoors@vcreporter.com
Lisa Snider is a local freelance writer. For more, go to www.LisaSnider.com.
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