DTE Biomass Energy’s clean, sustainable dairy renewable natural gas product has been recognized for its innovative business model.
The Calumet Renewable Natural Gas Project, located across multiple Wisconsin dairy farms, began operations earlier this year and encompasses Wisconsin’s first dairy waste-to-energy renewable natural gas (RNG) processing plants as well as an interstate pipeline injection facility. DTE Biomass Energy is a non-utility business of DTE Energy.
Converting dairy cow waste into clean, sustainable RNG positively impacts local environments and communities. Manure left to decompose naturally on farmland releases methane directly into the atmosphere. By capturing the gas instead, the farms reduce their overall greenhouse gas footprint and are compensated for their waste biogas, all while displacing fossil-based gasoline or diesel fuel.
Calumet Renewable Natural Gas Project has been named the 2019 “Project of the Year” in the agriculture, dairy category by the American Biogas Council (ABC). It was recognized “for the use of an innovative business model to manage dairy RNG through a virtual pipeline.” The renewable natural gas dairy processing and injection site, located in Newton, Wisc., processes raw biogas piped in from three nearby partner farms into RNG, and receives RNG trucked in from two other dairy farm-based DTE facilities. From here, pipeline-quality renewable natural gas is injected directly into the interstate pipeline and goes on to power compressed natural gas vehicles.
“Our Biomass team has been incredibly busy this year – not only have they started up our Calumet assets, but they also kicked off construction at four other dairy biogas projects across Wisconsin,” Mark Stiers, president and COO, DTE Power and Industrial, said. “I’m pleased their work has been recognized by ABC, a trade association championing the growth of the biogas industry.”
The announcement was made at BioCycle REFOR19, ABC’s annual conference in October.
