Digesters Show How Agriculture Can Be Part Of Climate Solutions

In late October, Shell Oil Company announced it would construct a dairy manure to renewable natural gas facility at the Bettencourt Dairies in Wendell, ID. Once up and running this RNG facility is expected to produce approximately 400,000 MMBTu per year. The use of RNG can reduce CO2 emissions from around 50%-100% compared to fossil fuels.

Rick Naerebout CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association said there are currently a handful of digesters around the state, but this new project in Wendell will be the largest. He noted the game has changed significantly over the past couple of years.

“California has put into place low carbon fuel standards and a cap and trade system where they are requiring companies that do business within their state to reduce emissions, that’s created a marketplace that makes the methane digesters viable in Idaho because we now have a place to sell the energy created by the digester that makes it feasible.”

The Bettencourt effort is part of a broader plan by Shell to use anaerobic digestion. Naerebout added this is a great demonstration of how agriculture, can help to address climate change.

“As companies are looking to go Net Zero, and as they are making these greenhouse gas reduction commitments, a lot of these companies have zero ability to actually change operation internally to get there.  But agriculture, we can provide them that opportunity to get there.  We can reduce at the farm level, we have technology we can employee to sequester carbon and be part of the solution.”

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