Central Virginia Green Poultry Energy Project

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Central Virginia Green Poultry Energy Project

• 2009 Virginia Ag Summit
• February 9, 2009
• William F. Osl, Jr.

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Central Virginia Green Poultry Energy Project

• Factors Supporting Project
• The Project
• Project Accomplishments
• Next Steps

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Factors Supporting Project

• Cumberland County County Farm Bureau co-host
  Summits to surface opportunities and challenges
  facing
• rural preservation growth
• farm profitability preservation

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Factors Supporting Project

• Cumberland ranks 5th in poultry production
• Regulatory uncertainty - poultry waste
• Growth pressure
• Existing technology
• Growing demand for alternative energy renewable
  resource products
• Farmers and county leaders - supportive

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The Project

• Process poultry litter, hay, straw, and wood
  chips, using thermophilic anaerobic digestion to
• generate energy from methane gas
• organic soil amendments from the undigested solid
  and liquid co-products
• credits for sequestration of pollution causing
  compounds

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The Project

• Cumberland farmers visit West Virginia State
  Universitys Bioplex Project (3/07)
• Anaerobic digestion of poultry litter and
  co-product utilization
• Pilot plant operating since 1999
• http//bioplexproject.wvstateu.edu/
• Cumberland farmers form Steering Committee to
  explore renewable energy opportunities using
  poultry wastes

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The Project

• Steering Committee decides to further pursue
  opportunities using thermophilic anaerobic
  digestion of poultry wastes
• Donald Bishop, Chairman
• John Bapties
• Lester Goin
• William Osl
• William Sanderson, Jr.
• Thomas Smith
• Charles Womack, III
• Elbert Womack
• Robert Womack

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The Project

• The process includes
• blending poultry wastes, biomass, water and
  microbes in an enclosed environment
• separating biogas and digested solids slurry
• combustion of biogas as fuel or to generate steam
  or electricity
• processing digested solids slurry into organic
  fertilizers compost

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The Project

• Opportunities
• alternative use and market for poultry litter
• alternative use for landfill-destined biomass
• renewable energy supply
• renewable fertilizer product supply
• carbon footprint reduction
• farmer/local ownership
• reduced regulatory issues
• market driven environmentally friendly win-win
  solution

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Project Accomplishments

• Steering Committee initiates feasibility study
  (5/07)
• USDA Rural Development awards Cumberland Farm
  Bureau 37,000 VAPG on behalf of Steering
  Committee to conduct a feasibility study
  develop a business plan (9/07)

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Project Accomplishments

• Steering Committee engages expertise from the
  following
• Enviro-Control, Ltd
• Longwood Univ. Small Business Dev. Center
• Pepco Energy Services
• Virginia Cooperative Extension
• Virginia Farm Bureau Federation

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Project Accomplishments

• Feasibility Study completed (6/08)
• farmer-owned anaerobic digester was determined
  technically feasible
• 14 tons poultry litter/day (lt 25 regional
  litter production)
• 1.4 megawatt output (enough electricity for
  gt1,000 homes)
• organic solid fertilizer
• organic liquid fertilizer

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Project Accomplishments

• Business plan is completed (12/08)
• Ag-Renewable Resources, LLC files its Articles of
  Organization (01/09)

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Next Steps

• Extend membership/ownership opportunity to fellow
  poultry farmers in Cumberland and surrounding
  counties
• Assemble financing
• Begin construction

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Thank you.Questions?