JACKSON — Consumers Energy announced the selection of four Michigan farms that will produce renewable energy from anaerobic digesters for the Jackson-based utility.
Said Timothy Sparks, Consumers Energy’s vice president of energy supply operations: “The addition of anaerobic digestion brings more diversity to our existing renewable energy supply from wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric dams.”
Consumers Energy developed this new anaerobic digester program along with Michigan State University and the state’s agricultural community. Anaerobic digesters generate electricity from biodegradable material – in this case from four Michigan farms.
The farms will be offered the opportunity to generate electricity under long-term contracts that collectively provide 2.6 megawatts of electric capacity. That’s enough to power about 2,800 homes.
Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.5 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
Farms selected were Beaver Creek Farms, Coopersville; Brook View Dairy, Freeport; Green Meadow Farms Inc., Elsie; and Scenic View Dairy, Fennville.
More about Consumers Energy’s anaerobic digester program at www.ConsumersEnergy.com/EARP.
It is interesting to read about how Consumers Energy has announced the selection of four Michigan farms that will produce renewable energy from anaerobic digesters. I note that diversification is a good reason for investing in this technology, and I do agree. When the price of milk plummets as it has in Europe and the UK in recent months, to have a biogas digester making a nice income would quite possibly save the farm business from having to close down due to financial losses.