A recent piece in Renewable Energy World by Haley Sawyer of Navigant Consulting mentions the “less celebrated, untapped renewable energy resrouces that can add to the U.S.’s energy mix”, such as biogas from anaerobic digestion.  The article points out that composting and AD are mutually beneficial as the digestate from AD process can be composted and used as a revenue stream.  Cedar Grove Composting is mentioned as a prime candidate for AD integration to their existing compost facilities. 

Various technologies from Europe are mentioned, including Viessmann/BIOFerm as being suitable solutions to convert food waste, yard waste, and other organics into energy.  Sawyer goes on to consider a financial analysis of a biogas plant with CHP compared to a waste combustion application, and finds the payback significantly shorter in the CHP scenario. 

The project at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is also mentioned in this article, as well as pilot studies in the City of San Jose, CA.  To read the full article, please click here.