By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

CARLYLE, Ill. — Customers of power company Ameren in areas of the Midwest, including Illinois, don’t have many kind things to say about the increases in their utility bills the company has implemented this year.

Rural customers of the St. Louis-based Ameren, however, may be surprised to know the company’s renewable energy department is conducting a study at a large Illinois hog farm which is examining the feasibility of using methane gas from manure to generate heat and power on the farm.

The Maschhoff Farm at Carlyle was chosen as the site for the study, which Ameren is conducting in conjunction with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and the University of Illinois-Chicago. “The project is currently ongoing and is scheduled to be completed by the end of June,” Ameren’s Rich Wright said.

If the study is successful, an anaerobic digester and generator will be installed at the site later this year. Manure collected at the farm will be stored in the digester.

Methane gas will then be siphoned off the manure and used to power a generator.

With a potential of 200-400 kilowatts of electricity expected, the generator would be used by the farm to help cover its peak demand of more than 700 kilowatts.

“It would be a good deal for the Maschhoffs because it would collect a waste byproduct – methane gas – from the manure and convert it to energy for use on the farm,” Wright said.

He described several goals for the project, including identifying the best and most economical digester technology for use.

“Currently there are several different technologies used across the country. Some perform better in different climates,” said Wright. “Another goal is to determine the most economical use of the methane generated from the digester, whether it is used in a combined heat and power application, cleaned and sold to a natural gas distribution company or (for) direct use in a boiler.”

The team conducting the study, which is comprised of representatives from Ameren Energy Fuels and Services with the support of Minnesota-based energy consultants Sebesta Blomberg & Associates, also wants to develop an economic model that Illinois farmers can use to evaluate the feasibility of employing a digester on their land.

In addition, they aim to prove that digesters can help to reduce odor from livestock farms.

Finally, Wright said, “We want to identify all revenue sources, (including) excess electric sales, carbon credits, manure handling benefits, et cetera.”

Ameren consulted with the IEPA in selecting the Maschhoffs’ operation, which is one of the largest family-owned pork production farms in the county, for the site of the study.

Wright said the IEPA had been looking for ways to promote a carbon dioxide sequestration program that rewards farmers for eliminating greenhouse gases created by animal waste.

Steffen Mueller of the UoI energy resources center said the university is providing 12 percent of the funding for the study, while Ameren is footing the rest of the bill.

“This project is consistent with our mission to promote efficient on-site power generation,” he said.

“Our hope is that the findings of the study will not only allow this project to move forward, but will provide critical data to complete similar projects in the state.”

If the project moves forward, Ameren will work with the Maschhoffs to pursue an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant and other funding in order to pay for development of the digester and generator, Wright said.

This farm news was published in the June 2, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.