For Release: Friday 7/26 AM
For more info: Tom Collins, NYSERDA
518-862-1090 ext 3250
Matlink Farm Converts Waste to Profits;
NYSERDA-Funded System Turns Manure and Food Wastes into Power and
Profit
Clymer, July 26, 2002 – New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority (NYSERDA) officials joined with U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USEPA, USDA) representatives
today to honor Matlink Dairy Farm's highly integrated and successful
waste digester system. The anaerobic digester converts manure and
food wastes to methane gas and valuable compost. The gas is used as
a fuel to generate heat and electricity for farm use, and sale to
the local utility.
"Matlink farms has one of the most beneficial digester systems
in the Country," said William M. Flynn, NYSERDA President. "This
system feeds on waste and converts tons of manure and food wastes
from environmental nuisances to fuel, electricity and profits. These
are the kinds of profitable and environmentally sound solutions that
Governor George Pataki seeks for New York farms," he said. His
comments came at Matlink's open house, where the USEPA/USDA awarded
its AgSTAR Partner Farm recognition to Ted Matthews, owner and operator
of the farm.
The system collects waste from 675 head of dairy cows, and food wastes
from a local ice cream plant. Together, these produce more than 76,000
cu.ft. per day of biogas for use in a generator-engine set that generates
about 884,000 kWh of electricity per year. The farm earns about $1000
per month from excess electricity sales to Niagara Mohawk, after reducing
its power bill by about $500 per month. Further, the compost solid
left behind, after the digester process, yields about $500 per month
in revenue, and is also used on the farm fields.
"The system has dramatically reduced local odor and ground water
contamination. Matlink Farms has become a model environmental neighbor
to the school and the Village residents," Flynn noted. "NYSERDA's
agricultural digester program now has 5 operating, 17 under construction
and 6 under study. These, and more, are needed to handle the 15 million
tons of manure deposited in New York each year. NYSERDA is proud of
its $7 million digester program to date, and urges adoption of this
technique to protect our environment, and turn farm waste into a farm
profit," he said.
NYSERDA provided $200,000 toward the more than $450,000 project cost
to install the digester system. This system is particularly successful
because of the various environmental concerns it addresses, and the
robust volume of biogas fuel and profit it yields. Other systems in
the State are more narrow in application and results. As such, the
Matlink system is now considered a model for new system design and
operation. Also, NYSERDA will provide an additional $250,000 to install
a resource-recovery center to use the biogas and electricity to dry
food wastes to produce animal feed.
This agricultural initiative is one among dozens of projects funded
by NYSERDA to improve energy efficiency, benefit the State's environment
and encourage economic growth. Detailed information may be seen at
www.nyserda.org. NYSERDA, a public-benefit corporation, helps develop
new energy and environmental programs and products, including the
New York Energy $martSM program. NYSERDA's funding
comes from the State's investor-owned utilities, a voluntary contribution
from the New York Power Authority, Long Island Power Authority and
limited NYSERDA funds.
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