(Photo by stryder10464 on Flickr)
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) designed the Alternative Fuel Incentive Program for recipients like Hilarides Dairy. The Lindsay, California dairy received $600,000 to fund the conversion of delivery trucks from diesel to biomethane created with cow manure. Owner Rob Hilarides has proven his ability to use cow manure to power other aspects of his business in the past, using a handful of methane gas-powered generators to create a majority of his dairy’s electricity. CARB and the California Energy Commission were given $25 million by the California legislature in 2007 to support local businesses that advance the cause of green transportation.
Hilarides Dairy uses a $1 million digester to process liquid and solid waste from 10,000 cows every day. The digester pays dividends each day by producing up to 226,000 cubic feet of bio-gas that can be processed into biomethane. The dairy has already converted two diesel-powered trucks to biomethane, reducing daily diesel consumption by 650 gallons compared to traditional trucks. The CARB grant will be used to convert at least five delivery trucks to biomethane in the near future.
The CARB Alternative Fuel Incentive Program focuses on individuals and businesses that can generate power without the help of fossil fuels. Hilarides Dairy’s biomethane trucks and generators have been found to produce far fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and greenhouse gases than diesel. Since California has struggled so mightily with air pollution in recent years, the absence of exhaust plumes from Hilarides Dairy trucks was another reason for the grant. CARB is also interested in the biomethane conversion process because it can be used to produce compressed natural gas (CNG) useful in other vehicle applications.
We may be in the midst of auto show season but Hilarides Dairy represents the oft-overlooked laboratory for green transportation technology in the United States. Instead of prototypes and vague ideas about green vehicle implementation, Rob Hilarides is using proven technology in the field to make a profit. The infusion of $600,000 in a proven commodity like Hilarides Dairy’s biomethane conversion is a solid investment by the state, particulary a state like California struggling so mightily in the current economic crisis. Cow manure is a renewable resource and as long as dairy trucks and generators remain relatively green, we should encourage biomethane as a solution to our long-term commercial fuel issues.
