September 18, 2009,
Atlanta, GA – CVPS Cow Power™ was recognized earlier this week as the Department of Energy’s (DOE)
2009 Utility Green Power Program of the Year for advancing the development and
use of green energy.
September 18, 2009,
Atlanta, GA – CVPS Cow Power™ was recognized earlier this week as the Department of Energy’s (DOE)
2009 Utility Green Power Program of the Year for advancing the development and
use of green energy.
CVPS Cow Power™ was
presented with DOE’s Green Power Leadership Award for a supplier during the Renewable Energy Markets 2009 Conference in Atlanta.
The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE) and the Center for Resource
Solutions (CRS) sponsored the ninth annual Green Power Leadership Awards, which
recognize the actions of individuals, companies and organizations that
significantly advance the development of renewable electricity sources through
green power markets. For the 2009 Green Power Leadership Awards, three separate
panels of judges reviewed over 100 nominations. DOE honored five Green Power
Partners from across the United States for their commitment and contribution to
helping advance the nation's voluntary green power market.
CVPS won the Utility Green
Power Program of the Year award for designing and implementing the voluntary
renewable energy program, which competed against municipal, electric cooperatives
and investor-owned utilities that offer voluntary renewable energy programs to
their customers.
“CVPS Cow Power™ promotes
a manure management system that provides clean, renewable energy and strives to
help solve numerous environmental problems,” the DOE said. “Since the program's
inception in 2004, a total of over 42 million kWh have been sold through
customers' enrollment. In 2008, sales increased by over 1.3 million kWh, over
10 percent.”
The Cow Power process is
simple: manure and other agricultural waste are held in a sealed concrete tank
at the same temperature as a cow's stomach, 101 degrees. Bacteria digest the
volatile components, creating methane and killing pathogens and weed seeds. The
methane, which is roughly 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in trapping
heat in the atmosphere, fuels an engine/generator. The process kills most manure
odors, and provides a peat-moss-like material for bedding animals.
CVPS customers can choose
to receive all, half or a quarter of their electrical energy through Cow Power,
and pay a premium of 4 cents per kilowatt hour. It goes to participating farm-producers,
to purchase renewable energy credits when enough farm energy isn't available,
or to the CVPS Renewable Development Fund, which provides grants to develop
on-farm generation.
CVPS Cow Power™ has been
repeatedly honored since its creation in 2004. The program won the Vermont
Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence in 2005-2006 and the Finalist's
Commendation in the 2007 Edison Electric Institute's annual Edison Award competition,
named for Thomas Edison. In 2008, Power Magazine named CVPS Cow
Power™ one of five "Top Plants" worldwide. For more information,
visit www.cvps.com/cowpower.
