The University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, which ranked 35th on Sierra Magazine’s “Cool Schools” for its green energy initiative, is just months from completing the first US installation of a dry anaerobic bio-digester, scheduled to begin operations in April 2011, according to the university’s website.
The $3.5 million bio-digester will use food scraps and yard waste, about 8,000 tons of organic waste per year, and convert it into biogas for electricity and heat. The system is expected generate about 10 percent of the university's electricity. The school expects the system will pay for itself in about seven to 10 years through energy savings, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The renewable energy facility will be the first dry fermentation anaerobic bio-digester in the nation; the plant is designed by BIOFerm Energy Systems, and the university project also is the first in North America for the German company. The project will install a 370 kWh biogas CHP (combined heat and power) cogeneration system from 2G-CENERGY, according to a 2G news release.
The energy system is a collaborative effort with the UW Oshkosh Foundation, which purchased the land to build the plant, and is partially funded with a grant of $232,587 from Wisconsin Focus on Energy and a $500,000 grant from the federal government, according to the university website.
The university says that the majority of the organic bio-waste needed will be provided by campus and community sources with the remainder being supplied from area partners. Unlike wet digesters that use outdoor ponds and run on manure or sewage, UW Oshkosh’s dry bio-digester will resemble an indoor composting site with air filters to remove adverse smells.
