Ag-Grid Energy will invest in operational enhancements to position the facility for another 15 years of service to Waunakee’s partner farms, Dane County, and the surrounding community. The investment will build on the project’s strong foundation by improving efficiency, reliability and long-term sustainability.
The facility has been renamed Demeter Ag-Grid. It is Ag-Grid Energy’s first acquisition of an operating farm digester project and first project in Wisconsin. The company, founded in 2016, has five additional operating projects, all built from the ground-up.
“Demeter Ag-Grid represents a model for how agriculture, local government, and renewable energy development can work together to achieve meaningful environmental outcomes,” said Ag-Grid Energy Founder & CEO Rashi Akki. “We are honored to carry forward its legacy of reducing nutrient pollution while expanding renewable energy production.”
Demeter Ag-Grid’s anaerobic digester processes about 160,000 gallons of manure every day from four dairy farms: Maier Farms, Ripp’s Dairy Valley, Endres Dairy and Wagner Farms.
During its first 8 years, the digester was operated by Clean Fuel Partners and converted biogas into 2 megawatts of renewable electricity.
In 2019, Brightmark assumed ownership and upgraded the facility to enable the conversion of biogas into renewable natural gas (RNG). It injects about ~100,000 MMBTUs/year into the natural gas pipeline system via an interconnection at the Dane County landfill. The landfill injection system now supports five additional RNG projects, expanding the region’s renewable energy infrastructure.
Akki added, “Ag-Grid Energy is pleased to retain key members of the Waunakee facility operations team, who will work with us to further streamline and optimize Demeter Ag-Grid.”
