Farmer switches to biodigestors: saves RD$1.0 million in electricity and diesel
2.5 million Birds and 30,000 pigs produce fuel
Diario Libre
SD. The raw material for producing alternative energy based on biodigestors consists in the fecal material and dead animals, with the pigs representing the best source, explained Miguel Lajara, the president of Sanut.
Farmer/producer Wilfredo Bautista explained that with regard to chickens, these should be in cages and not on the ground in order to take advantage of pure dung.
According to his explanations, in this country 50% of the birds are in cages, Lajara continues explaining: "We are talking about two point five million egg layers. Regarding pigs, we are talking about a population of 30,000 brood sows distributed among large, medium and small farmers. In the large producers, about 90% are already involved with the development of biodigestors.
In the process of producing energy, the manure goes by gravity towards a pit. The anaerobic process completely removes the material from oxygen, allowing the production of methane. This gas goes to an electricity generator, where some impurities are filtered out and generally returns again to the coop where it can be used to warm up the first days of new-born chicks.
"There are projects here that to warm up broods were spending two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand for LPG, and that LPG as been substituted by this methane," says Lajara.
Twenty-two month disconnected from the CDEEE, and no standby generator
SD. Given the historic deficiency of the national electrical system, which presents difficulties in supplying the rural areas, and the desire to protect the environment, the egg and pork farmer Wilfredo Bautista takes advantage of the manure from his animals in order to produce his own energy based on biodigestors, and with satisfaction he says that he "has been disconnected from the CDEEE for 22 months."
This disconnection from the national electric grid and not having to purchase diesel fuel for the emergency generators used to deal with the blackouts, has meant a savings of between RD$900,000 and RD$1.0 million a month which had been budgeted for these expenses. It goes so far that he is able to give the excess energy to some neighbors who live close to the farm.
Bautista, who has a pig farm in La Vega and another with laying hens in Guanuma (Monte Plata), explains that the cost of the system of biodigestors will depend on the production that he is seeking. In Guanuma he has two and each one had a cost of RD$10 million and the generator, RD$40 million. They produce about 350 kilowatts each 24 hours.
The seasoned producer shared his project during his participation in this week's Dialogo Libre, produced by the Diario Libre newspaper, He was accompanied by Miguel Lajara, the promoter of biodigestors and the president of Sanut, a company that supplies foods and medicines for animals, and by Enrique Ramirez, the director of the National Energy Commission.
They talked with Adriano Miguel Tejada, the director of Diario Libre; the editor in chief, Jose Maria Reyes; the editor of the diariolibre.com webpage, Eli Heiliger; the reporter from the economic section, Amilcar Nivar and the senior journalist, Mariela Mejia.
For the initiative taken, the experimental farm at Guanuma was awarded the prize of the "Alternate Energy Producer" by the Dominican Farmers' Association.
The plan is that wherever there is a farm this system should be implemented in order to reduce the cost of electricity, protect the environment and make the country more competitive.
"Here we were timid in this aspect and in order to solve two things: the environment-and we were under tremendous pressure-and then there were the big blackouts that we had with the CDEEE. These two things pushed us to take this alternative," he said.
"We have begun-he added-and that some 16 to 18 companies, some of the largest in the country, that are in the process, they are nearly done, and now we are waiting for the generators that this movement is going to need," said Bautista.
In the meantime, Lajara explained that for this system they have to buy a generator with a structure that is prepared to produce electricity using methane gas.
"The kitchen we have uses this gas, the refrigerators, the cold storage rooms and the warmth of the little piglets is also done based on this biogas," said Bautista.
Both men indicated that 450,000 animals can produce 350 kilowatts of energy. "Before, the people came to the farm to see the animals, and now they come to see the biodigestors," said Lajara.
In order to warm a new set of chicks they had to spend RD$250,000, RD$300,000 of LPG and this LPG was also substituted with methane. "The long blackouts that we have with the CDEEE have pushed us to talk this alternative, to make this decision," said Bautista.
System used in other countries
Although the use of biodigestors in the country is a novelty, it is not new. Other countries are already making use of it, among them Brazil and Mexico. "We have taken part in events and we have seen this working normally," says Wilfredo Bautista, who is also the representative of the Dominican Association of Pork Farmers (Asogranja).
"in Mexico we saw that this was a custom, it was not some invention, it was a reality, and starting from this and seeing out situation being more complicated each day with the Ministry of the Environment and the high cost of energy, well, we started implementing it; we were the first to risk it here in the country, although I would say that it was not a risk because it really does exist in other places," said Bautista.
The producers are finishing a project in Puerto Rico with Dominican technology and they are planning two biodigestors in Panama.
The producers can sell excess energy
One positive point and motivation for the use of biodigestors is the fact that the excess energy can be sold, according to Enrique Ramirez, the director of the National Energy Commission.
The law itself, 57-07, establishes that when you are a renewable energy producer, you can sell energy, whether it is through the system of net measurement, when you have excess, and you can sell to a distributor," he said.
He indicated that counting with the coordination of the Superintendency of Electricity, the producer can establish a private line and sell excess energy "to one, two, three, four, five clients" of those around his property or where the system is installed.
Farmer/producer Wilfredo Bautista explained that with regard to chickens, these should be in cages and not on the ground in order to take advantage of pure dung.
According to his explanations, in this country 50% of the birds are in cages, Lajara continues explaining: "We are talking about two point five million egg layers. Regarding pigs, we are talking about a population of 30,000 brood sows distributed among large, medium and small farmers. In the large producers, about 90% are already involved with the development of biodigestors.
In the process of producing energy, the manure goes by gravity towards a pit. The anaerobic process completely removes the material from oxygen, allowing the production of methane. This gas goes to an electricity generator, where some impurities are filtered out and generally returns again to the coop where it can be used to warm up the first days of new-born chicks.
"There are projects here that to warm up broods were spending two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand for LPG, and that LPG as been substituted by this methane," says Lajara.
Twenty-two month disconnected from the CDEEE, and no standby generator
SD. Given the historic deficiency of the national electrical system, which presents difficulties in supplying the rural areas, and the desire to protect the environment, the egg and pork farmer Wilfredo Bautista takes advantage of the manure from his animals in order to produce his own energy based on biodigestors, and with satisfaction he says that he "has been disconnected from the CDEEE for 22 months."
This disconnection from the national electric grid and not having to purchase diesel fuel for the emergency generators used to deal with the blackouts, has meant a savings of between RD$900,000 and RD$1.0 million a month which had been budgeted for these expenses. It goes so far that he is able to give the excess energy to some neighbors who live close to the farm.
Bautista, who has a pig farm in La Vega and another with laying hens in Guanuma (Monte Plata), explains that the cost of the system of biodigestors will depend on the production that he is seeking. In Guanuma he has two and each one had a cost of RD$10 million and the generator, RD$40 million. They produce about 350 kilowatts each 24 hours.
The seasoned producer shared his project during his participation in this week's Dialogo Libre, produced by the Diario Libre newspaper, He was accompanied by Miguel Lajara, the promoter of biodigestors and the president of Sanut, a company that supplies foods and medicines for animals, and by Enrique Ramirez, the director of the National Energy Commission.
They talked with Adriano Miguel Tejada, the director of Diario Libre; the editor in chief, Jose Maria Reyes; the editor of the diariolibre.com webpage, Eli Heiliger; the reporter from the economic section, Amilcar Nivar and the senior journalist, Mariela Mejia.
For the initiative taken, the experimental farm at Guanuma was awarded the prize of the "Alternate Energy Producer" by the Dominican Farmers' Association.
The plan is that wherever there is a farm this system should be implemented in order to reduce the cost of electricity, protect the environment and make the country more competitive.
"Here we were timid in this aspect and in order to solve two things: the environment-and we were under tremendous pressure-and then there were the big blackouts that we had with the CDEEE. These two things pushed us to take this alternative," he said.
"We have begun-he added-and that some 16 to 18 companies, some of the largest in the country, that are in the process, they are nearly done, and now we are waiting for the generators that this movement is going to need," said Bautista.
In the meantime, Lajara explained that for this system they have to buy a generator with a structure that is prepared to produce electricity using methane gas.
"The kitchen we have uses this gas, the refrigerators, the cold storage rooms and the warmth of the little piglets is also done based on this biogas," said Bautista.
Both men indicated that 450,000 animals can produce 350 kilowatts of energy. "Before, the people came to the farm to see the animals, and now they come to see the biodigestors," said Lajara.
In order to warm a new set of chicks they had to spend RD$250,000, RD$300,000 of LPG and this LPG was also substituted with methane. "The long blackouts that we have with the CDEEE have pushed us to talk this alternative, to make this decision," said Bautista.
System used in other countries
Although the use of biodigestors in the country is a novelty, it is not new. Other countries are already making use of it, among them Brazil and Mexico. "We have taken part in events and we have seen this working normally," says Wilfredo Bautista, who is also the representative of the Dominican Association of Pork Farmers (Asogranja).
"in Mexico we saw that this was a custom, it was not some invention, it was a reality, and starting from this and seeing out situation being more complicated each day with the Ministry of the Environment and the high cost of energy, well, we started implementing it; we were the first to risk it here in the country, although I would say that it was not a risk because it really does exist in other places," said Bautista.
The producers are finishing a project in Puerto Rico with Dominican technology and they are planning two biodigestors in Panama.
The producers can sell excess energy
One positive point and motivation for the use of biodigestors is the fact that the excess energy can be sold, according to Enrique Ramirez, the director of the National Energy Commission.
The law itself, 57-07, establishes that when you are a renewable energy producer, you can sell energy, whether it is through the system of net measurement, when you have excess, and you can sell to a distributor," he said.
He indicated that counting with the coordination of the Superintendency of Electricity, the producer can establish a private line and sell excess energy "to one, two, three, four, five clients" of those around his property or where the system is installed.
Diario Libre
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