Stonyvale Farm marks year of AD facility

    EXETER — In late December, the anaerobic digestion (AD) facility at Stonyvale Farm marked its first full year in operation, and operators of the cutting edge technology say production data confirm the project is a solid success.

    In the future, as a result, Maine could reap significant benefits in renewable energy, cleaner watersheds near dairy farms, landfill conservation, reduced methane pollution of the atmosphere and economic development that stabilizes and sustains family farms.

    “We combined about 7.3 million gallons of cow manure with food waste in our first year, allowing us to produce 5.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity for the grid,” said Adam Wintle, managing partner of Biogas Energy Partners (www.BiogasEnergyPartners.com) the development arm of Exeter Agri-Energy. “That’s good in itself, but our ‘secret recipe’, so to speak, is what has the industry taking notice.”

    Wintle said the Maine project is the only one of its kind in New England that “co-digests” manure and food waste on a large scale. That presents Maine with a future opportunity to divert large amounts of food waste away from landfills and into energy production. He said the project has already created three full times jobs, and has allowed his family to begin considering future expansion of energy production and farm-associated ventures.

    Andrew Landry, an attorney with Preti Flaherty in Augusta who advises the project on regulatory matters, said his firm’s research confirms that the Maine-grown innovation in Exeter is among the best in the biogas industry.

    “It is no exaggeration to say that the anaerobic digestion facility at Stonyvale Farm is the cutting edge industry leader,” Landry said. “They’ve found the winning formula, and that’s good news for economic development in Maine and the region.”

    Exeter Agri-Energy is a renewable energy company that converts animal and food waste into heat and electricity, and other environmentally responsible products. The anaerobic co-digestion system it built in 2011 is the most advanced and versatile of its kind in New England. For more information about the company, visit www.ExeterAgriEnergy.com.