Maas Energy

Maas Energy Works Commissions Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Interconnection in Collaboration with Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 08:14:07 GMT

New facility expands access to dairy-derived biomethane across the region

REDDING, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Maas Energy Works (MEW) today announced the interconnection of a new renewable natural gas (RNG) facility located at Couco Creek Dairy in Turlock, California, with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) natural gas system.

The new RNG facility demonstrates the evolution in biomethane and RNG technology. This facility uniquely gathers RNG in two ways:

Injecting RNG produced onsite from livestock waste that is converted to biomethane and ultimately clean, pipeline grade renewable natural gas
Receiving RNG that is trucked in from offsite production facilities.

By capturing methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere and upgrading it into pipeline‑quality fuel, dairy-based RNG provides measurable climate benefits, while supporting local agricultural economies. California’s dairy industry continues to serve as an important producer of local RNG. The Couco Creek hub-style configuration allows two distinct RNG supply pathways to converge. The site produces and conditions RNG from its own onsite dairy digester while also receiving trucked-in RNG from neighboring Blue Sky Dairy through a dedicated offloading and decompression facility. This “virtual pipeline” approach enables additional dairies to participate even when direct pipeline access is not available, increasing overall system efficiency and supply potential.

Originally Published by: Business Wire

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Utility Global and Maas Energy Works Announce Agreement to Develop Dairy Digester-to-Hydrogen Mobility Project in California

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:11:08 GMT

Collaboration to deliver deeply carbon-negative hydrogen using dairy biogas to fuel heavy-duty transportation across California.

Houston, TX and Redding, CA – October 7, 2025 – Utility Global, Inc. (“Utility”), a U.S.-based leader in economical decarbonization technology, and Maas Energy Works (“MEW”), the nation’s leading developer of dairy digester-to-energy projects today announced an agreement to advance the development of the first commercial project in California to use dairy digester biogas for direct hydrogen fuel production. The project will produce deeply carbon-negative hydrogen from water without electricity for the mobility sector, setting a new benchmark for cost-effective decarbonization. The project will be located at a dairy farm complex in California and will integrate dairy digester biogas systems with Utility’s proprietary H2Gen® technology to produce economical clean fuel for heavy-duty transportation. This innovative combination will deliver hydrogen with one of the lowest negative carbon intensity scores in the market and provide a scalable pathway to decarbonize heavy-duty transportation economically. The project has also secured initial offtake at attractive pricing to both partners.

Originally Published by: Utility Global

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Fuel From Dairy Manure, Now Powered By the Sun: Maas Energy Works Completes Solar Power Project

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 08:09:08 GMT

In late September, Maas Energy Works successfully completed a $6.4 million project to power its Lakeside Pipeline dairy biogas upgrading facility with solar electricity, offsetting approximately 90% of the plant's power consumption.

Lakeside Pipeline, located near Hanford, processes manure from more than 10 dairy farms, to generate biogas fuel. That biogas is purified, compressed, and injected into the natural gas pipeline to create millions of gallons per year of carbon-negative transportation fuel. And now, that work is being done using solar power. Lakeside Pipeline partner and dairy farmer Bernard TeVelde stated, “Over 207 California dairies, including my own, operate solar fields. Now this project represents a significant milestone: it’s the country’s first large-scale dairy biogas facility that’s almost fully powered by solar energy.” So, in an industry based on harvesting energy from manure, Maas Energy Works is now also harvesting energy from the sun. The solar installation spans over 17.5 acres and is designed to generate approximately 9 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually.

Originally Published by: The Sentinel

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Maas Energy Works Expands Partnership with Qube Technologies to Monitor Biogas Operations Across Multiple States

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 08:05:13 GMT

Family-owned Maas Energy Works deploys Qube’s low-cost environmental monitoring solution at over 20 lagoon digesters, empowering operational intelligence.

CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA - Qube Technologies announced an expanded collaboration with Maas Energy Works (MEW) to deploy its continuous monitoring devices across 20 lagoon-style digesters. This deployment spans MEW’s operations in Texas, Idaho, and California, and marks a major step in scaling data-driven insights in the farm-based renewable energy sector.

Building on the success of an initial test period, MEW decided to roll out Qube’s devices across its network of digesters. These devices provide real-time monitoring, making it easier to spot emissions trends and quickly address any maintenance needs. The data is conveniently organized through automated alerts and an easy-to-use dashboard. The expanded partnership is already showing impact: one digester has increased monthly MMBTU production by over 30% since deployment, and multiple sites have reported faster leak detection and lower emissions release.

Originally Published by: Clean Energy Fuels

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

The Business of Biogas: A Conversation with Daryl Maas, CEO of Maas Energy Works

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 08:04:24 GMT

The Gas Compression Podcast

On this episode of The Gas Compression Podcast, host Michael Haning welcomes Daryl Maas, chief executive officer of Maas Energy Works, for a conversation on the business of biogas and working with dairy farmers to turn waste into renewable natural gas.

Clean Energy - How do RNG Lagoon Digesters Work?

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 08:02:25 GMT

Cows produce more than just milk, they also generate manure.

A powerful resource when handled right. Instead of letting manure sit and release methane into the air it is directed into large, tarp-covered lagoons.

Clean Energy Breaks Ground on Three Renewable Natural Gas Dairy Projects With Maas Energy Works

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 07:56:33 GMT

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) has announced it has broken ground on three renewable natural gas (RNG) production facilities under its development agreement with Maas Energy Works.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- These projects span six dairies located in South Dakota, Georgia, Florida and New Mexico, and are expected to produce approximately three million gallons of RNG annually once fully operational. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250916060019/en/

Capturing methane from a combined herd of 24,300 dairy cows, preventing harmful emissions from entering the atmosphere, the RNG produced will be used to power heavy-duty trucking, transit and vocational fleets nationwide – providing a reliable supply of negative-carbon fuel to Clean Energy’s network of over 600 stations. “Partnering with an industry leader like Maas Energy Works on these projects will enable us to quickly bring meaningful volumes of ultraclean fuel to the transportation market,” said Clay Corbus, senior vice president of renewables at Clean Energy. “We’re seeing rising demand for RNG from fleets looking to decarbonize, and breaking ground on these production facilities is a significant step forward in meeting that need.”

Originally Published by: Clean Energy Fuels

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Fernandes Family Farms: Four Digesters, One Legacy

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 07:54:53 GMT

The Fernandes family has been dairying in California’s San Joaquin Valley since the 1920s, when Frank Fernandes came over from the Azores and started milking cows during the Great Depression.

A century later, his grandsons continue to dairy and have expanded on multiple facilities— and now, they’re also producing renewable fuel from manure while capturing methane that would be emitted as a powerful greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. Joe Fernandes passed the operation to his six sons: Joey, Greg, Gary, Frank, Jared, and Josh. Together, they manage four Tulare County dairies with anaerobic digesters funded by CDFA Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) —Fern Oaks (2019), Legacy Ranch (2017), LegenDairy Farms (2022), and Sousa & Sousa (2018, also known as Legacy Holsteins). All four dairies are based in Tulare County as a part of the Calgren Dairy Fuels Cluster, California’s first full-scale dairy pipeline network. In total, the four projects received $5.3 million through DDRDP. Greg runs Fern Oaks; Gary runs LegenDairy; Jared and Josh manage daily operations at Legacy Ranche, while Frank handles farming. Most digesters were built with Maas Energy Works. Joey also developed a separate project through a DDRDP grant with California Bioenergy.

Originally Published by: California Department of Food and Agriculture

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Gas Compression Magazine, Interviews Issue

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 09:52:52 GMT

Executive Outlook: A CONVERSATION WITH DARYL MAAS, CEO, FOUNDER, AND OWNER OF MAAS ENERGY WORKS

What role does gas compression play for your business and end markets? We generate raw biogas from manure and food waste, and that biogas can be used in a variety of ways. Right now, the best way to use our gas is to clean it, compress it, and deliver it into the utility pipeline. Our company spends a lot of time trying to find the best way to take raw, wet biogas, run it through a cleaning process that involves a lot of compression, and then deliver it into a pipeline. The process of handling that gas is critical to our ability to deliver it into the pipeline and to reach our end markets.

 In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing the gas compression industry today? What is Maas Energy Works doing to meet these challenges? I can’t speak broadly for the entire gas compression industry, but for our particular industry, which is handling raw biogas, the challenge is making sure that compressors, chillers, piping, valves, and membranes can handle a raw, wet, high-sulfur gas that also contains carbon dioxide (CO 2). The goal is to find technologies that allow us to clean up the gas into pure methane. We’ve made progress in sulfur and moisture removal, and other related processes.

Originally Published by: GAS COMPRESSION Magazine

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Anaerobic Dairy Digester Converts Methane to Renewable Natural Gas in Merced County

Tue, 06 May 2025 07:42:45 GMT

A crowd gathered at Volleman’s Family Farm Thursday, June 20 for a ribbon cutting as the celebrated bottled milk business and dairy made a commitment to lessening environmental impact by safely harvesting gas to help provide power to their neighbors.

This is done through a newly completed dairy digester. This digester captures greenhouse gases from the manure of the dairy’s over 5,000 cows and transforms it into usable natural gas for trucks, homes and electricity. Partnering with Maas Energy Works, the nation’s largest dairy digester developer, the Volleman’s project involved constructing a custom biogas facility using a covered lagoon and membrane technology. This cover creates an anaerobic (oxygenfree) environment where bacteria breaks down the organic material in the manure, producing biogas primarily composed of methane and carbon dioxide. The biogas is then extracted through a piping system and processed to remove impurities such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, resulting in renewable natural gas ( RNG). The purified gas is carried through a 3.5-mile underground pipeline and handed off to Atmos Energy, which supplies the town of Gustine and surrounding areas with natural gas. This pipeline interconnection has been designed to add other central Texas dairy digester projects as the industry expands.

Originally Published by: The Dublin Citizen

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

The City Builders Podcast - Daryl and Christianna Maas of Maas Energy Works

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 07:40:00 GMT

In this episode of The City Builders Podcast, host Todd Jones sits down with Daryl Maas, CEO, and Christianna Maas, Vice President of Maas Energy Works — a national leader in converting agricultural waste into renewable energy, with headquarters in Northern California.

They discuss the innovative world of renewable energy, how Maas Energy Works is helping farmers turn waste into power, and the exciting growth of clean energy solutions across the country. Daryl and Christianna share their unique journey, the impact of agriculture-based energy projects, and how their work is shaping the future of sustainability — all while staying rooted in the values of family, community, and innovation.

Redding Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year - Maas Energy Works

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 07:39:18 GMT

Founder & CEO Daryl Maas & Vice President Christianna Maas

Maas Energy Works is a biogas company, which means we go out on to dairy farms and we process it to make methane gas a form of renewable energy. We kind of live at this intersection of renewable energy, new technology on the one side, and traditional family farming on the other side.

Volleman’s Family Farm Partners with Maas Energy Works to Create Renewable Energy On-Farm

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 08:33:04 GMT

A crowd gathered at Volleman’s Family Farm Thursday, June 20 for a ribbon cutting as the celebrated bottled milk business and dairy made a commitment to lessening environmental impact by safely harvesting gas to help provide power to their neighbors.

Originally Published by: The Dublin Citizen

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Clean Energy and Maas Energy Works Join Forces to Build Nine Renewable Natural Gas Dairy Production Facilities Across Seven States

Tue, 07 May 2024 07:30:46 GMT

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE), the largest provider of the cleanest fuel for the transportation market, and Maas Energy Works, the nation’s largest dairy digester developer, today announced a new joint development agreement to build nine renewable natural gas (RNG) production facilities at dairy farms across seven states.

Newport Beach and Redding, Calif. – May 14, 2024 – This new endeavor will include dairies located in Colorado, South Dakota, Georgia, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska and New Mexico, and will collect the manure from a combined herd size of approximately 35,000 cows preventing the methane emissions from entering the atmosphere. The nine projects, each subject to finalizing diligence before beginning construction, are expected to be completed in 2026 and will produce up to an estimated 4 million gallons annually of ultra-clean RNG, a negative carbon-intensity transportation fuel which will make its way into Clean Energy’s nationwide network of RNG stations.

Originally Published by: Energy Transition Insider

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

The Role Of Carbon Credits In California’s RNG Market

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 08:28:37 GMT

California’s dairy industry injects more than $21 billion into the state’s economy and supports 189,000 jobs while accounting for around half of California’s total methane emissions.

This presents a conundrum: How do we balance economic prosperity with environmental responsibility? Anaerobic manure digesters offer one promising answer to this question. Anaerobic digesters address the environmental impact of flush dairies, where manure-laden water is stored in ponds. As the manure is naturally digested by bacteria, methane and other gases are emitted as a byproduct. By creating sealed ponds (covered lagoons) lined with high-density polyethylene and installing gas filtration equipment, dairy farmers can transform these emissions into marketable renewable natural gas (RNG).

Originally Published by: Energy Transition Insider

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Improving California's Air Quality

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 08:25:44 GMT

Cows, with their four-chambered stomachs, have always been models of digestive proficiency, as anyone who’s dodged cow pies in a pasture can attest.

These grazing bovines and other livestock produce thousands of pounds of manure daily. Energy conservation, coupled with the concern for the management of livestock waste, has revived an interest in generating biogas from livestock manure. As such, two key initiatives surrounding anaerobic digester clusters have garnered the attention of dairy farmers across the country. Making inroads in biogas - In 2016, Calgren and its digester developer, Maas Energy Works, first approached dairies with the idea of using their manure to create biogas transportation fuel. Calgren has numerous dairy farmer neighbors, many of whom are also customers for the company’s wet distillers grain.

Originally Published by: Progressive Dairy

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Progressive Dairy - Biogas Cluster Projects Connect Farms and Renewable Fuel

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 07:16:25 GMT

Cows, with their four-chambered stomachs, have always been models of digestive proficiency, as anyone who’s dodged cow pies in a pasture can attest.

Originally Published by: Progressive Dairy

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

For the 1st time in the dairy digester industry...

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 23:46:00 GMT

Stillwater Delivering Gas via Virtual Pipeline

First delivery being loaded up at Stillwater Ranch

California dairy families marked a first this fall. David TeVelde and Maas Energy Works began operating the state’s first dairy biogas “virtual pipeline” whereby biogas from their digester at Stillwater Ranch (Hanford, CA) is trucked to the Calgren Dairy Fuels gas cleanup hub (Pixley, CA), for use in creating vehicle fuel. The gas travels in compressed CNG tube trailers, hauled by CNG-powered trucks. This model could enable more dairies to participate in pipeline projects, even if they aren’t located near major pipelines or “clusters” of dairies.

First delivery being received at the Calgren Dairy Fuels injection point

The initial plan for the Stillwater Ranch digester was to use the biogas to create Renewable Electricity under the BioMAT tariff. With all of the woes that PG&E has had to weathe r, the project became seriously delayed in interconnecting to the power grid. Wanting to find a way to preserve the dairy’s investment into the digester technology while waiting for interconnection, Maas Energy Works sought out virtual pipeline options. Upon startup, Stillwater began delivering 1 truckload of biogas to Calgren Dairy Fuels every day and has since increased to two truckloads a day.

The BioMAT project is still forthcoming as there is plenty of gas to run both systems. Maas Motor Works is currently packaging the 1-Megawatt genset for delivery and commissioning in 2020.

Calgren Dairy Fuels grows again, this time with Open Lots

Completed digester at Riverview Dairy in Pixley, CA

Riverview Dairy, owned by Randy Gorzeman, started up its digester operated by Maas Energy Works on October 3rd. Riverview is now the the 2nd Open Lot milking facility in the Calgren Dairy Fuels digester cluster alongside K&M Visser Dairy. The clustering model has proven very beneficial to dairies who have been overlooked by other developers. On an open lot milking facility, only a fraction of the manure is captured in the flush lanes each day, and therefore these dairies generate less gas than a standard freestall milking facility.

With the economics of centralizing biogas cleanup and the convenience of having their nearby pipeline to feed the gas into, Calgren was able to save enough on the capital expenses to make the investment on the dairies worthwhile and bring these open lot dairies' digesters online. This has allowed both dairies to get multiple manure handling upgrades as well as a new source of revenue. Congratulations to Randy and Keith!

Hilarides Dairy Digester Ready For Another Decade

Finally, one of California’s oldest operational dairy digester facilities is getting a new lease on life. Hilarides Dairy near Tulare, CA has hosted a dairy digester since 2003. Owner, Rob Hilarides, has been a leader in dairy innovation and efficiency.

Since 2003, the digester’s biogas has been used to fuel milk trucks that were converted to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The remainder of the biogas fueled a series of gensets to provide electricity to run the dairy facility. However, after 15 years the project’s six older generators could no longer supply the power needed for the site.

Working with Maas Motor Works fabrication shop in Redding, California, Hilarides Dairy has replaced those 6 small engines with a single new 16-cylinder, lean-burn, turbo-charged generator that will create more power than the old engines could produce. The new engine also operates at much higher efficiencies and produces significantly lower emissions. The project will still create CNG fuel, and future expansions are possible as this systems gets back into action.

Maas Energy Works has always held the motto, “Renewable Energy that Works.” They consider it a privilege to be able to assist the state’s first producers who took the leap to build digesters, and keep the dairy industry profitable and sustainable.

Thank you for your interest in California dairy digesters. Maas Energy Works is the largest developer in the state, building digesters that are 100% farmer-owned, developer owned, or any combination in between.

Please contact us if you have any questions about work underway or future plans to create energy within California's proud dairy farming community.

For more information about our company, be sure to contact us

MaasEnergy.com | 530.710.8545 | info@maasenergy.com

Our mailing address is:

Maas Energy Works

3711 Meadow View Drive

Suite 100

Redding, California 96002

#Digester #CalgrenDairyFuels #Cluster #RCNG #Pipeline #genset #renewableelectricity

Breathing Life Back Into The Digester Market

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 23:19:57 GMT

New Hope Digester Finds New Owner & Design

Arlan Van Leeuwen and Arlin Van Groningen were early adopters of digester technology. In 2012, they agreed to host a digester at their New Hope Dairy to deliver power to SMUD, the Sacramento power utility. But after a few years, that facility was shut down by the original owner, another California biogas developer. However, “the Arlins” weren’t giving up yet.

There were two successful Maas Energy Works digesters operating at nearby dairies owned by Case Van Steyn and Leo & Peter Van Warmerdam. So , after being neighbors for years, Arlan and Arlin decided to team up with Maas Energy Works to restart the New Hope digester project. Maas Energy Works proposed to purchase the facility, install a new covered lagoon digester, refurbish the generating equipment, improve manure processing, and restart the project in cooperation with New Hope Dairy.

Maas Motor Works refurbished genset being reinstalled

The project successfully restarted with only private funding and no government grants. Since July, the project has resumed selling renewable power from its 450-kW generator, refurbished in Maas Motor Works’ Redding, CA workshop. The project uses the new covered lagoon digester to store gas during off-peak periods of power, and then runs the refurbished engine on the stored biogas to sell power when local Sacramento utility SMUD’s demand is highest.

Arlan and Arlin are once again in the energy business, receiving multiple revenue streams from their cows.

Calgren Dairy Fuels: Can't Stop, Won't Stop

In other news, the Calgren Dairy Fuels digester pipeline cluster has been successfully injecting Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) into the SoCalGas utility pipeline for the last 6+ months.

In the past quarter, three more dairies have begun delivering their cow gas.

Vander Poel Dairy
Sousa & Sousa Dairy
K&M Visser Dairy

Adding these three dairies brings the total number of dairies contributing to their central cleanup/injection facility to eight , and also makes them the largest dairy biogas operation in the United States!

Currently, there are over 47,000 cows contributing to the 8 digesters. By years’ end, there will be an additional 30,000 cows contributing to 4 more dairy digesters. All in all, Calgren will be producing over 3,000,000 gallons of fuel each year, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help the dairies comply with state policies, while also adding more revenue to the dairies’ bottom line.

Aemetis Biofuels Well On Its Way

Aemetis Biofuels (Stanislaus County) has started construction on the first two dairy digesters in their larger digester pipeline cluster. Double D Dairy and Ackerman Dairy Farm are the first two dairies and will be contributing nearly 10,000 cows worth of manure. The project will result in Aemetis Biofuels creating low Carbon ethanol and CNG fuel.

Maas Energy Works is serving as lead developer on those two projects. The two digesters are scheduled to come online in the next year making it the second operational dairy biogas pipeline cluster in the state.

Thanks for your interest in California dairy digesters. Maas Energy Works is the largest developer in the state, building digesters that are 100% farmer-owned, developer owned, or any combination in between.

Please contact us if you have any questions about work underway or future plans to create energy within California's proud dairy farming community.

For more information about our company, be sure to contact us:

MaasEnergy.com | 530.710.8545 | info@maasenergy.com

Our mailing address is:
Maas Energy Works
3711 Meadow View Drive Suite 100
Redding, California 96002

#Digester #CalgrenDairyFuels #Cluster #RCNG #Pipeline #genset #renewableelectricity #AemetisBiofuels

Calgren Completes Renewable Natural Gas Facility in California

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 08:12:26 GMT

Calgren Dairy Fuels completed a dairy renewable natural gas facility in California – the first of its kind in the state.

The facility is located in Pixley, located in the Central Valley between Bakersfield and Fresno. It is the first such facility in California and is expected to be the largest dairy biogas operation in the United States. The fuel developed by the facility will be used by Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), which serves 21.8 million customers across Central and Southern California. At this facility, Calgren collects cow manure – a source of greenhouse gas emissions — from four local dairy farms and processes it in an anaerobic digestor that accelerates the natural decomposition process. By the end of 2019, Calgren will partner with eight additional dairy farms to make it the largest dairy biogas project in the nation.

Originally Published by: The Porterville Recorder

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

SoCalGas Completes Dairy with Renewable Natural Gas in Pixley

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 07:11:43 GMT

On Monday, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) joined Calgren Dairy Fuels, and state and local elected officials to announce the completion of Calgren’s dairy renewable natural gas facility.

The project, located in Pixley, is the first of its kind in California and is expected to be the largest dairy biogas operation in the U.S. later this year. At the new facility, Calgren collects cow manure – a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions — from four local dairy farms and processes it in an anerobic digestor that accelerates the natural decomposition process. Methane emissions (biogas) from that process are captured and converted to make renewable vehicle fuels. Producing pipeline quality renewable natural gas (RNG) that’s then injected into the SoCalGas pipeline system which allows Calgren to supply RNG to existing compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling facilities. Ultimately, this also has the potential to be delivered to customers to fuel ultra-low emissions trucks and buses, generate clean electricity, and heat homes and businesses.

Originally Published by: The Porterville Recorder

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Calgren Opens First Dairy RNG Facility in California

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 08:06:59 GMT

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) joined Calgren Dairy Fuels, and state and local elected officials yesterday to announce the completion of Calgren’s dairy renewable natural gas facility.

The project, located in the Central Valley community of Pixley, is the first of its kind in California and is expected to be the largest dairy biogas operation in the U.S. later this year. At the new facility, Calgren collects cow manure – a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions – from four local dairy farms and processes it in an anerobic digestor that accelerates the natural decomposition process. Methane emissions (biogas) from that process are captured and converted to make renewable vehicle fuels. Producing pipeline quality renewable natural gas (RNG) that is then injected into the SoCalGas pipeline system which allows Calgren to supply RNG to existing compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling facilities. Ultimately, this also has the potential to be delivered to customers to fuel ultra-low emissions trucks and buses, generate clean electricity, and heat homes and businesses.

Originally Published by: CANADIAN BIOMASS

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

A Cleaner Energy Future Means Taking Advantage of Some Dirty Stuff

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 08:03:23 GMT

Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) joined Calgren Dairy Fuels to help clean up the reputation of cows as they, along with local and state officials, celebrated the completion of Calgren’s dairy renewable gas facility.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — “Cows are green is the new slogan,” SoCalGas VP Jeffery Walker said. Calgren has partnered with 14 Central Valley dairy farms to buy the methane released from manure. Using a special membrane to cover the manure, Calgren captures the methane before it enters the air, then sends it to the plant to be processed into usable natural gas. Walt Dwelle is a principal investor with Calgren. He said, initially, they were interested in harvesting natural gas from manure for their energy needs at the ethanol plant. They also get carbon credits through the low carbon fuel standard. He said the decision was an economic one and a “feel good” one.

Originally Published by: The Sacramento Bee

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Calgren Dairy Fuels continues to grow!

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 22:43:25 GMT

Mid-Year Update on Calgren Dairy Fuels Cluster:

Legacy Ranch - 3rd Digester to come online in the Calgren Dairy Fuels Pipeline Cluster

In the first half of 2019, Calgren Dairy Fuels began generating biogas at three more digesters, increasing the cluster’s operational count to five. Circle A Dairy, Robert Van der Eyk & Sons Dairy, Legacy Ranch, Cornerstone Dairy, and 4J Farms are all producing biogas. The cluster has been making pipeline deliveries to a central gas cleanup hub for nearly a year now. This methane-rich fuel is being used by Calgren Dairy Fuels to create low-carbon ethanol and is also being injected into the SoCalGas pipeline for use as compressed natural gas vehicle fuel (R-CNG). The Calgren cluster has seven more digesters in active construction and all are expected to be online before year’s end—bringing the cluster total to 12. Calgren has so far laid 15 miles of pipeline in the ground.

The Calgren Dairy Fuels cluster was also featured on a PBS special titled, Earth Focus. You can watch the full video here .

Cornerstone Dairy - Fourth dairy to come online in the Calgren dairy Fuels Pipeline Cluster

At present, Calgren Dairy Fuels remains the only active dairy digester pipeline cluster in the state. The project’s developer Maas Energy Works plans to begin construction on at least one additional California cluster later in 2019.

Robert Van Der Eyk & Sons Dairy - Second dairy to come online in the Calgren Dairy Fuels Pipeline Cluster

Another digester developer, California Bioenergy, recently announced the start of construction on new digesters in Kern County. The company currently operates five electrical gen eration digesters and plans a large pipeline injection cluster. A related announcement publicized that Chevron has invested in up to 18 California Bioenergy projects.

This industry is really heating up!

Additional dairy biogas pipeline injection projects are known to be in various stages of development in Oregon, Idaho, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, and possibly other states. Nearly all intend to deliver pipeline renewable natural gas to the California vehicle fuels market. Two out of state projects (one dairy, one swine) are already delivering to the California market. We will keep you updated through this newsletter as more projects come online.

Please contact us if you have any questions about work underway or future plans to create energy within California's proud dairy farming community.

For more information about our company, be sure to contact us:

MaasEnergy.com 530.710.8545 info@maasenergy.com

Our mailing address is:
Maas Energy Works
3711 Meadow View Drive Suite 100
Redding, California 96002

#Digester #CalgrenDairyFuels #Cluster #RCNG #Pipeline

Turning Poop Into Power: Cali Dairies Appeal For More State Climate Change Money

Fri, 31 May 2019 07:59:56 GMT

Maas Energy Works (MEW), based in Redding is leading clusters of dairies in Merced and Denair in installation of “Dairy Digester” systems.

The purpose is converting manure to renewable natural gas that will be injected into utility pipelines. These projects are a collective investment exceeding $100 million. California has more dairy cows than any other state – approaching two million head. Dairies located in close proximity to each other makes it possible to connect their manure processing through a network of metered pipelines, eventually arriving at a shared treatment plant. “The Digester replicates a cow’s stomach to continue the digestion of manure,” explained Doug Bryant, MEW Communications Director. “The result is a 60 percent reduction of methane emissions and the resulting odors. Processing the manure from one cow is equal to four barrels of oil, or like taking the emissions of one car off the road.”

Originally Published by: Merced County Times

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Do it Yourself Digester – Family Owned Van Beek Digester Starts Up!

Mon, 20 May 2019 22:10:37 GMT

The Van Beek Brothers Dairy (Tipton, CA) fired up their biogas-powered genset to mark the new year. Doug and Tim Van Beek’s 800 kW generator , packaged by Maas Motor Works in Redding, California, has finished commissioning and is now selling power directly to Southern California Edison through the Bioenergy Market Adjusting Tariff (BioMAT) – a program requiring utilities to buy dairy power. The Van Beek family chose to finance the project themselves and now own the facility 100%, with operational support from Maas Energy Works.

Most recent digesters with electrical power generation “net meter” their output for use on the dairy, much like solar net metering. The BioMAT program, however, allows the producer to sell their power to the utility under a fixed-price 20-year contract. Under this program, the utilities are required to purchase 90 MW of dairy power, and so far, have received only a small portion of that amount. That program leaves plenty of room for future projects, and plenty of opportunity for California producers. A dairy hosting a net-metered solar array to reduce its dairy power bills can still operate a BioMAT digester to sell power.

The long-term contract to sell power makes it easy for traditional farm lenders to finance the projects with low up-front cost and very little risk to the dairy. Because of this, the BioMAT program has made electric generation at dairies an attractive option for some producers. In this case the attraction was enough that the Van Beek's chose to own this project 100% themselves, hiring Maas Energy Works to develop and operate the facility.

Due to high current prices for dairy compressed natural gas (CNG), however, much of California’s digester industry has recently been focused on producing pipeline biogas for CNG vehicle fuels. CNG projects are generally built in clusters that require large investments of capital and the participation of many dairies and companies. Electrical generation projects on the other hand, have guaranteed prices, can be built on a single dairy, and require fewer counter parties. One of the great strengths of California’s current growth in digesters is that there are so many markets for dairy biogas. Producers can decide for themselves how best to participate, and the industry has many strong tools for adding value to existing dairy operations.

Please contact us if you have any questions about work underway or future plans to create energy within California's proud dairy farming community.

For more information about our company, be sure to contact us:

MaasEnergy.com | 530.710.8545 | info@maasenergy.com

Our mailing address is:
Maas Energy Works
3711 Meadow View Drive Suite 100
Redding, California 96002

#Digesters #RenewableElectricity #BioMAT

Maas Energy Works Installs $100M Dairy Digester Network

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 07:53:20 GMT

Maas Energy Works (MEW), based in Redding is leading clusters of dairies in Merced and Denair in installation of “Dairy Digester” systems.

Originally Published by: Merced County Times

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

California Methane Regulations Energize Innovation

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 07:49:24 GMT

Ambitious emission reduction laws invigorate new dairy practices.

One out of every five dairy cows in the United States lives in California—that’s 1.79 million milk cows. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) identifies dairies as the source of 60 percent of agricultural contributions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N20), which are greenhouse gases. ARB ranks livestock manure second on the methane-emitting scale with 10.228 million tons CO2 equivalent. This is 2.25 percent of the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Dairy cattle count for 9.89 million tons CO2 equivalent in the state and are distantly followed by poultry at 0.095 million tons CO2 equivalent. Methane is released into the atmosphere as microbial organisms decompose the manure.

Originally Published by: FarmProgress.com

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Gas from Tulare County Dairy Farms being delivered to Calgren, SoCalGas

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 06:36:50 GMT

Joey Airoso's dairy was the first to start delivering methane gas to Calgren Renewable Fuels last August.

He has nearly 3,000 dairy cows at his Pixley farm. All of them produce waste, and the storage of manure contributes to methane emissions. But now, a device called a digester captures the potent greenhouse gas, and the pipeline delivers it to Calgren, about three miles away from his farm. His digester is part of a cluster in the Pixley area developed by Calgren and Maas Energy Works, and one of three already online delivering gas to Calgren. "It kept our on-farm responsibilities really similar to what we were already doing, and that's making manure and pushing it and separating," Airoso said. "And really the only process is adding it into this pond, where we're capturing the gas."

Originally Published by: Action News 30

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

Calgren Dairy Fuels Begins Injecting RNG

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 18:46:34 GMT

Southern California Gas Co. and biogas producer Calgren Dairy Fuels announced Feb. 14 that renewable natural gas produced at Calgren's dairy digester facility in Pixley, California, is being injected into SoCalGas pipelines.

The project marks the first time that carbon-negative renewable natural gas produced from cow manure has been injected directly into SoCalGas' natural gas system. In August 2018, SoCalGas began receiving renewable natural gas into its system from CR&R, Inc.'s anaerobic digestion facility in Perris, California. The renewable natural gas from that digestion facility is already being used to fuel about 400 waste hauling trucks. Renewable natural gas is a carbon-negative fuel produced from waste and agriculture that can be used in trucks and buses, to generate electricity, fuel heating systems in homes and businesses, and for cooking.

Originally Published by: Action News 30

Full Article available on Publisher's Site.

California’s 1st Operational Dairy Digester Pipeline Cluster

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 22:01:03 GMT

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the first edition of California’s premier newsletter on Dairy Digesters. Dairy biogas has earned a lot of attention in the last few years as a large industry has grown up to deliver more biogas projects, and if you’re a dairy producer, you’ve probably been approached with many proposals. So we’ve started this publication to provide information; not only about projects our team is building, but to include updates on the whole digester industry, government policies, and other events that impact California dairy biogas. We hope you find our publications both informative and engaging.

Daryl Maas, CEO of Maas Energy Works

Recently, Calgren Renewable Fuels hosted over 200 people in Tulare County, California to celebrate the state’s first operational dairy digester pipeline cluster. While one other dairy biogas pipeline project exists in Fair Oaks Indiana, the Calgren Dairy Fuels (CDF) facility is the first of its kind in California. Having received grants to build another 12 covered lagoon digesters that will supply biogas to this central hub located at the Calgren ethanol refinery, it is the largest project in the nation to inject biomethane into a utility pipeline. That said, the pipeline has been built for significant expansion.

Covered Lagoon digester at Legacy Ranch, will be 3rd complete digester in the CDF Pipeline Cluster.

Each dairy in the cluster will supply their manure to an on-site digester operated by CDF. The biogas from these digesters will be transported to the CDF plant through a low pressure, private pipeline. So far, the project has laid over ten miles of mainline pipe. The project will provide dairy biogas for the ethanol refinery power plant and inject bio-methane into the SoCalGas utility pipeline for use as CNG vehicle fuel. Biogas is already being delivered from 4J Farms (Junio family) and Circle A Dairy (Airoso family) while several more dairies are expected to go online in the coming months.

As far as is publicly known, no digester pipeline clusters have yet started construction other than Calgren Dairy Fuels. However, Maas Energy Works,developer for Calgren Dairy Fuels, is working on five additional clusters and has received various grants to build them. California Bioenergy, an early, strong proponent of digester clusters has also received grants for approximately six more clusters in development.

Photo from the Ribbon Cutting of some of the stakeholders who have made this project possible.

Please contact us if you have any questions about work underway or future plans to create energy within California's proud dairy farming community.

For more information about our company, be sure to contact us:

MaasEnergy.com | 530.710.8545 | info@maasenergy.com

Our mailing address is:
Maas Energy Works
3711 Meadow View Drive Suite 100
Redding, California 96002

#CalgrenDairyFuels #Digesters #PipelineCluster #RNG #Event