On-Site Power Solution Will Dramatically Reduce
Methane Emissions from Dairies by Using Captured Biogas to Generate
Electricity without Combustion
State Programs Enable Renewable Electricity
Generated by Dairies to Power Electric Vehicles throughout
California
Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) and California Bioenergy LLC (CalBio),
today announced a collaboration to deploy the companies’ commercial
solution for the conversion of dairy waste into renewable
electricity without combustion.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191010005249/en/
(Graphic: Business Wire)
CalBio’s dairy digester technology with Bloom Energy’s solid
oxide fuel cell technology delivers an end-to-end solution for the
capture of methane and generation of renewable electricity. The
solution has been designed such that the electricity will power
electric vehicles (EVs) throughout California. In integrating these
proven technologies, the two companies have created the world’s
first commercial solution to generate non-combusted electricity
from dairy waste to power EVs.
Today, most California dairies are making plans to install
digesters to capture biogas from their cow manure and are looking
for a cleaner way to utilize this fuel. Biogas captured from cow
manure contains approximately 65 percent methane, which has a 25
times greater impact on global warming than CO2 emissions and
accounts for 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, but is
also a useful, renewable fuel.
The CalBio-Bloom Energy solution not only produces clean
electricity, it also removes methane that would otherwise have been
released into the atmosphere. Capturing and utilizing waste methane
is a powerful way to positively and quickly impact climate
change.
How It Works
CalBio digesters capture biogas, primarily consisting of
methane, released from the anaerobic decomposition of dairy manure.
CalBio’s technology also separates hydrogen sulfide from the
biogas. The biogas is then converted to renewable electricity in a
Bloom Energy Server through an electrochemical process. The Bloom
Energy Server is the world’s most efficient electricity generator.
It produces twice as much electricity as conventional combustion
generators using the same amount of biogas.
Once generated, all of the renewable electricity can be
transmitted via the electric grid to EV charging stations
throughout California.
Today, emissions generated by EV charging vary according to when
EVs are plugged in to charge. For example, at night, California
draws the largest portion of its electricity from burning natural
gas or from imported power, including coal, so EV charging may not
be very clean at all. Going forward, any EV network buying
electricity from a CalBio-Bloom Energy dairy project will be able
to provide their customers renewable electricity.
The Potential
There is an estimated 320 megawatts of economically viable dairy
biogas in California. With significant deployments of dairy
digesters occurring throughout the California dairy industry, there
is need for an on-site power generation solution that uses the
captured biogas to generate renewable electricity without
combustion.
Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction in California
The state of California has set ambitious goals to reduce all
greenhouse gas emissions, including methane. In order to advance
these goals, the state provides grants and sets policy through the
California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Department of Food and
Agriculture (CDFA). Both small and large dairies deploying the new
CalBio-Bloom Energy biogas solution will be eligible to apply for
CDFA grants. CARB’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), meanwhile,
creates value for low carbon fuels, enabling EV charging operators
to buy the renewable energy credits generated by dairy farmers to
meet carbon reduction goals.
Air Quality Benefits
California’s Central Valley, and especially the San Joaquin
Valley, where many dairies are located, has some of the worst air
quality in the United States, as well as the highest rates of
childhood asthma in California. Using fuel cells to generate
electricity from dairy biogas, instead of combustion engines,
eliminates smog-forming emissions, and improves air quality and
public health. Charging more EVs with renewable electricity will
contribute to air quality improvements throughout California,
called for under the Governor’s Executive Order for five million
zero-emission vehicles by 2030.
Executive Quotes
“The urgency of the fight against climate change and unhealthy
air quality requires us to slash potent, super-pollutant emissions,
including methane from agriculture, and get combustion out of our
energy and transportation systems,” said Mary Nichols, chair of
the California Air Resources Board. “This solution is a
trifecta – slashing methane, avoiding combustion from electricity
generation, and supporting our transition to electrified
transportation.”
“Our California dairy families play a critical role in producing
nutritious, high-quality milk and dairy products, while, at the
same time, engaging in air, water, and environmental sustainability
efforts,” said Karen Ross, secretary of the California
Department of Food and Agriculture. “This is a great example of
the partnerships needed to advance technologies from the Silicon
Valley and agriculturally rich Central Valley in order to move the
needle further in renewable energy from dairies.”
“While the San Joaquin Valley is already subject to the most
stringent air quality regulations in the nation, innovative
programs such as this, which assist in deploying the latest clean
air technologies, play a vital role in addressing the Valley’s air
quality challenges,” said Samir Sheikh, air pollution control
officer and executive director for The San Joaquin Valley Unified
Air Pollution Control District.
“In bringing together the best technology from Silicon Valley
with the best technology from the Central Valley, we’re really
doing something special for California,” said N. Ross Buckenham,
CEO of CalBio. “With Bloom, we have found an ultra-clean
“on-dairy” biogas system that can scale from small to large
dairies, with attractive economics for the capture and utilization
of methane. We’ll create local jobs, generate income for dairy
farmers, help the environment by reducing greenhouse gases and
fossil fuel consumption and greatly improve local air quality.”
“To achieve its ambitious climate goals, California has to
embrace every innovation that can make a difference in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions,” said KR Sridhar, founder, chairman,
and CEO of Bloom Energy. “We’re proud to be tackling both the
causes and consequences of climate change through this innovative
collaboration with CalBio, and through the clean energy that Bloom
provides to California businesses every day.”
About California Bioenergy
CalBio is the leading developer of dairy digesters generating
renewable electricity and vehicle fuel in California. Founded in
2006, CalBio has worked closely with the dairy industry and state
agencies to develop programs to help the state achieve its methane
reduction goals while delivering, a new revenue source to
California dairies and clean air for the San Joaquin Valley. For
more information, visit: www.calbioenergy.com. For questions
related to California dairy digesters and dairy methane, please
visit: www.dairycares.com.
About Bloom Energy
Bloom Energy’s mission is to make clean, reliable, and
affordable energy for everyone in the world. The company’s product,
the Bloom Energy Server, delivers highly reliable and resilient,
‘Always-On’ electric power that is clean and sustainable. Bloom’s
customers include 25 of the Fortune 100 companies and leaders in
cloud services and data centers, healthcare, retail, financial
services, utilities, and many other industries. For more
information, visit www.bloomenergy.com
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking
information based on current expectations and plans that involve
risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes,
among other things, statements concerning the extent of the
project’s anticipated megawatt demand and environmental impact,
including but not limited to improvements in air quality and the
reduction of methane emissions generated by agriculture. Bloom
Energy Corporation cautions that there are certain factors that can
cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking
information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to
put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is
not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of
uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the
control of Bloom Energy Corporation; accordingly, there can be no
assurance that such suggested results will be realized. Certain
factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of Bloom Energy’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018,
its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30,
2019 and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, could cause actual results to differ materially from
expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information. The
information in this press release is as of October 10, 2019. Bloom
Energy Corporation expressly disclaim any obligation to update any
forward-looking information, except as required by law.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191010005249/en/
N. Ross Buckenham, CEO, CalBio
rbuckenham@calbioenergy.com T: 559-667-9560 x1
Erica Osian, Bloom Energy erica.osian@bloomenergy.com T:
401-714-6883
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