“We work hard to improve the environment every day, so it’s natural that we’d want to lessen our environmental impact through Cow Power,” said Forest Supervisor Meg Mitchell.
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.
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.
Although not a real alternative due to the limited amount of production and 4 cent a K-watt overhead The U.S. Forest Service is not wasting the energy they can get from cow manure.
The real problem in their production costs may be in the way that the material is stored. Many biomass productions are no more then a rubber lined pit with a cap. Any overhead costs that can be eliminated will definitely result in lower costs to the consumer.
For more information
Customer Information 800-649-2877