Dairy Alternatives: Converting Cattle Methane Into Renewable Energy

Dairy farmers in Massachusetts are working with Vanguard Renewables, a food waste energy company, and Dominion Energy, an electric utility company, to capture manure methane gas from cows and convert it into natural gas. They are also adding food waste to the manure from manufacturers and retailers to increase energy output and increase income for farmers. The partnership has expanded to dairy farms in other states who are looking to lower their greenhouse gas emissions.

A collaboration between an oil company, a Harvard professor and California lawmakers has resulted in the creation of a large-scale energy plant. While there are still goals yet to be me, this plant is capable of capturing carbon dioxide from the air while simultaneously recovering oil.

Food loss in sub-Saharan Africa is a common occurrence, due to the unreliability of brokers that sell the farmers produce, but groups throughout the region are fighting against this. From cooling systems that allow produce to last longer to connecting local farmers to work together to negotiate sales, post-harvest food projects are becoming an increasingly common solution.

Grasslands are important players in carbon sequestration. In the U.S. and Kenya some farmers are switching to regenerative grazing. For some this entails concentrating herds of cows and resting paddocks for long periods of time, and for others it means reseeding native grasses. This all forms part of a larger global network to restore grasslands.

Getting rid of urine is very wasteful, in the European Union alone almost 6,000 billion liters of water are used to flush urine. TOOPI Organics is using urine as a resource. Founded in 2019, the biotech company collects urine and using a fermentation process transforms it so it can be used as a fertilizer. Its urine fertilizer helped plants grow 60 to 110 percent more than a traditional mineral fertilizer. Its factory in the city of Bordeaux is able to produce 2,500 liters of organic fertilizer per day.

As the amount of farmland decreases in the United States and climate change brings hotter and drier conditions, many farmers are turning to agrivoltaics — growing crops and installing solar panels on the same land — as a way to make ends meet. Research on a garden in Arizona showed that certain crops like tomatoes and chiltepin peppers were able to thrive under the shade of solar panels, while also improving the solar panels’ productivity. “It’s a very unique positive feedback,” said one of the researchers.

As a response to global climate change, many are turning to farming and agricultural practices as a response. Plants are able to bring carbon dioxide into soil, where some is stored, reducing the overall amount in the air. While initially seen as a silver bullet solution, scientists are now discovering limitations – like overestimating how much carbon can be stored. For small farms, in order to adopt more eco-conscious practices, they need more economic incentives to change their ways.

The United Kingdom is finding creative ways to simultaneously address renewable energy needs and waste disposal. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants are utilizing chicken manure from farms and coffee grounds to create electricity. The initiatives have the added benefit of improving standards for the treatment of poultry, as well as reducing the distribution of harmful toxins from the waste.

The state of Maine has been feeling the negative effects of climate change including the rising sea waters. Businesses have decided to make the best of it and do it in an environmentally sound and sustainable way. They have sought out new fisheries, renewable power, and trade distributions through the Arctic.

When unexpected weather patterns began affecting crops in Kenya, the Government of the Makueni region provided a group of local leaders with weather information, through text messages, to distribute to the community to assist in food crop planning.