A new power plant in the Hefer Valley has begun to produce electricity from manure and other organic waste.
According to Globes, the power plant will generate 2-2.4 megawatt/hour (MW/h) by the end of the year. Its initial output is 1.6 MW/h, of which 1.3 MW/h is delivered to the national grid and 300 KW/h is used to operate the facility itself.
The Tambour Hefer Ecology plant is located near Hadera. The Hefer Valley Cooperative Society is accomplishing two goals through the plant. It was ordered to reduce pollutants generated by the communities’ 12,000 dairy cows and is also using the 600 tons of manure generated daily to produce electricity.
"This is unquestionably an important milestone,” Granite HaCarmel CEO Amiaz Sagis said. “This facility fits in with Granite HaCarmel's strategy to invest in infrastructures and ecology. The company is also investing resources to develop alternative energy, water treatment, and desalination."
The web site TreeHugger.com took notice of the Israeli project, pointing out an additional benefit: “[Also positive] is that methane has a stronger greenhouse or ‘climate forcing’ effect than C02. The benefit of capturing methane before it escapes a farm manure pond, subverting its destiny of dispersing to the stratosphere, far exceeds the obvious short-term gains of making methane and its byproducts useful for farmers.”
If successful, the project is due to be replicated in other areas of the country with high concentrations of dairies and cattle-ranches.