A San Francisco-based waste and energy development company has announced that it has purchased a dairy biogas plant.



Brightmark Energy purchased the anaerobic digester from Clean Fuel Partners near Madison, Wisconsin, which will convert 90,000 gallons of dairy waste per day from three local farms into biogas and other useful products. Clean Fuel Partners will continue to provide operations and maintenance support.



Once the planned installation of gas upgrade equipment is completed, the project is expected to produce enough renewable natural gas to replace around 50,000 MMBtu of conventional natural gas each year. That is roughly equivalent to enough fuel to travel 1.27 million miles in a compressed natural gas bus, or from San Francisco to New York and back more than 200 times.



“Brightmark is thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in this unique gas-processing facility here in Wisconsin,” said Brightmark Energy CEO Bob Powell. “This project is a win-win for all – it’s good for the local environment, good for the regional economy, and good for the climate.”



Anaerobic digestion has proven to significantly reduce local pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It helps to prevent methane from being released into the atmosphere, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the dairy manure to be processed at this facility at a rate of 16,000 metric tonnes per year.



Chuck Ripp of Ripp’s Dairy Valley said: “As a participating farm, we are excited to have Brightmark Energy as a partner in anaerobic digestion of the manure from our cows. This agreement will help local farms continue to be environmentally friendly to our community and help us stay in compliance with environmental regulations.”



Farmers who are interested in providing manure as extra feedstock for the digester in Madison can reach out to Brightmark Energy.









