‘Giant step’ in green energy
BELMONT, Wis. — The Lafayette County village of Belmont, with a population of 914, joined the cutting edge of green energy — the courtesy of dairy goats — on Friday morning.
State and federal officials joined Montchevre-Betin Inc. — the largest goat milk cheese producer in the country — in unveiling an anaerobic digester. Anaerobic digestion is a process where bacteria break down manure and other organic materials to create methane gas, which can be sold to local utilities as electricity.
In Belmont, the digester processes whey and wastewater from the cheese plant to create methane gas. The gas is captured and sent to a generator to be converted into electricity, enough to power about 220 homes. Previously, all the plant’s wastewater was hauled off-site for land application.
The $3.5 million project was partly financed by a $550,000 low-interest loan from the State Energy Program funded by the federal stimulus package — the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Montchevre employs about 150 people.
“We capture a byproduct, transfer it to make power and produce cheese,” said
Jean Rossard, Montchevre vice president, adding that the market for goat cheese continues to grow.
Methane from the project will be used to generate electricity to power both the digester itself and to help meet up to 80 percent of the company’s energy needs, according to Tony Hozeny, a spokesman for the state Department of Commerce.
The Procorp Enterprises LLC, of Milwaukee digester is being installed as part of an expansion that will add 22,000 feet to a 90,000-square-foot plant. The project is expected to create 13 jobs for the firm, which employs 102, Hozeny added.
Montchevre’s digester is the first in the nation for a goat cheese plant, and possibly in the world, according to Rossard. It is expected to be online within the next month.
Arnaud Solandt, Montchevre president, said the project was born from the biggest obstacle Montchevre ever faced: “How do we dispose of our waste?”
“Building a ‘clean’ company is one of the great challenges many entrepreneurs face,” said Solandt in a statement. “It rarely has an immediate positive effect on a financial statement, yet it is the right course of action. We are proud to take this giant step.”
Also giant is the fact the company processed around 50 million pounds of goat milk in 2009 — all of it coming from about 300 dairy goat farms throughout Wisconsin, Iowa, southern Minnesota and Missouri. It equated to 8 million pounds of goat cheese.
Unveiling the digester, Solandt described the process of treating waste to create electricity as “the eighth wonder of the world.” He added that the project — termed an energy recovery system — was the result of years of study and risk assessments.
State Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, whose 51st Assembly District includes Belmont, hailed the collaborative effort that was made possible between both public and private sectors.
“This is a win, win, win situation,” he said. “This project creates jobs and protects the environment. This is basically our ability to look into the future in the present.”
State Sen. Dale Schultz presented the company with a Senate proclamation that called the company “pioneers in bio-energy in Wisconsin.”
Department of Commerce Secretary Aaron Olver made the loan announcement on behalf of Gov. Jim Doyle.
The State Energy Program is a $55 million revolving loan fund that provides low-interest loans to manufacturers that are investing to produce renewable energy or components, or making steps to improve their competitiveness through energy efficiency or renewable energy deployment.
-Craig D. Reber
