3Degrees, a firm that helps organizations achieve renewable energy and decarbonization goals, announced today the recent completion of a critical investment to repower a manure digester project at Edaleen Dairy, family-operated farm in Lynden, Washington. 3Degrees worked with Regenis, a dairy digester operator committed to both planetary protection and family farmer livelihood, and Edaleen Dairy to co-finance a new engine and generator to keep the digester power project online and avoiding potent methane emissions.
Anaerobic digesters turn livestock waste into renewable power while avoiding potent methane emissions—meaning they are one of the most essential immediate actions for mitigating climate change. Despite their environmental benefits, many digesters nationwide risk being shut down due to high operating costs. In the Northwest, many aging dairy digester projects cannot afford to continue operation at current electricity prices.
Edaleen partnered with 3Degrees to sell its digester electricity into transportation markets to power electric vehicles. Clean fuel standards, like Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program, offer digester projects a new incentive to cover operating costs and continue abating emissions. Given 3Degrees’ expertise in this emerging market, the company pre-purchased credits that will be generated under the clean fuels standards to share the costs of installing a new generator and engine at the dairy.
“Edaleen Dairy has an unshakeable commitment to sustainability, which is why they are an industry leader”, says Bryan Van Loo, Vice President at Regenis. “We are thankful to have such a strong working relationship with Edaleen having constructed their digester in 2012 while operating and maintaining the system from commissioning to today. Now at their ten-year anniversary, the digester has supplied enough clean, emission-free electricity to power 380 local homes, while also improving upon climate, air, and water quality. Regenis is equally pleased to be working with 3Degrees as they and Edaleen Dairy transition towards specific use of the renewable electricity for charging of EV vehicles in Oregon through the Oregon Clean Fuels Program.”
“Our dairy has always been centered on the health of our customers, our community, and our planet because we are a family-run operation who lives in the community we serve,” says Mitch Moorlag, General Manager at Edaleen Dairy Cow Power, LLC. “We take seriously the natural wonders that have been bestowed upon us as do our customers, and we want to pass that inheritance down to future generations. Providing clean energy for electric vehicle charging stations by capturing methane and turning into biogas in our anaerobic digester is a logical progression of that commitment to be good stewards.”
“Dairy farmers often paid very little for the power they generate from their operationally-complex digester projects,” said Peter Weisberg, Director of Product Development at 3Degrees. “This investment is a great example of how through tailored financing solutions and new environmental markets, we can work with partners to keep these critical emission mitigation projects operational”
About Regenis:
Regenis symbolizes the rebirth of our planet’s reusable organic resources and a commitment to the ethic to leave our land better for the next generation. On a planet with over seven billion people, our mission is to re-imagine reusable resources to create a valuable supply chain of products for farms, food processors and municipalities through the process of anaerobic digestion. Our digesters capture methane (a potent greenhouse gas) from decomposing organic waste and convert it into clean electricity that can be used to power farms and factories, sold to the local utility at a profit or turned into renewable natural gas for trucks and car fleets. Our virtuous cycle leaves nothing to waste, creating a cycle of value for our clients while putting them on the cutting edge of sustainability. Regenis constructed Edaleen Dairy’s digester facility, is contracted to do ongoing O&M services, and is a long term friend and partner to Edaleen Dairy as well as 3Degrees. To learn more about Regenis, please visit their website.
About Edaleen Dairy:
In 1975, Ed and Aileen Bransma combined their names to create Edaleen Dairy, but what started as a small family company has expanded to six locations. Through the years, Edaleen has been ahead of the curve by combining experience, innovative ideas, and technology. The dairy has a long history of involvement in the surrounding Whatcom County community, and have put their environmental stewardship into action by installing climate-forward technologies, such as anaerobic digesters.
