Garden club hosts Cow Power presentation (Sept. 12, 2007)

BENNINGTON, Vt. – The Bennington Garden Club will host a free-to-the-public presentation on CVPS Cow Power™, one of the fastest-growing renewable energy programs in the country, Sept. 25 at the Bennington Free Library.

David Dunn, manager of renewable project development at Central Vermont Public Service, will present a PowerPoint™ show and answer questions from 6:30 to 8 p.m.  The public is invited.

“This is a timely and important topic, said Nancy Edwards, conservation chair of the Bennington Garden Club.  “Not only can we utilize safe, alternative energy, but we can support local, participating farmers while doing it.”

CVPS Cow Power™ is the first manure-based renewable energy program directly linking consumers and farmers.  More than 4,380 CVPS customers have enrolled, making Cow Power one of the fastest-growing renewable energy programs in the country. 

The program improves manure management while providing new financial opportunities for Vermont dairy producers. To create energy, manure and other agricultural waste are held in a sealed concrete tank at the same temperature as a cow’s stomach, 101 degrees. Bacteria digest the volatile components, creating methane and killing pathogens and weed seeds. The methane, which is roughly 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere, fuels an engine/generator.

CVPS customers can choose to receive all, half or a quarter of their electrical energy through Cow Power, and pay a premium of 4 cents per kilowatt hour.  It goes to participating farm-producers, to purchase renewable energy credits when enough farm energy isn’t available, or to the CVPS Renewable Development Fund. The fund provides grants to farm owners to develop on-farm generation. Farm-producers are also paid 95 percent of the market price for all of the energy sold to CVPS.

“CVPS Cow Power™ is a unique partnership between CVPS, the farmer and our energy-conscious customers,” Dunn said.  “We’ve created a new market model, which allows customers to support farms, the environment and renewable energy at the same time”

The Bennington Free Library is located at 101 Silver St., Bennington.  For more information, call 747-5681.

Contact: Steve Costello (802) 747-5427 For Immediate Release: Setp. 12, 2007