| Dairy follows energy pyramid philosophy: efficiency, then renewables |
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Vacuum pump equipped with variable speed drive
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The energy projects at Louie Kazemier’s farm, Rickreall Dairy, are a great example of the “energy pyramid” process to reduce energy use. To meet his goals of environmental stewardship and lower energy bills, Kazemier is exploring a variety of renewable energy projects on his dairy, but he has first identified and installed a variety of energy efficiency projects.
Energy experts emphasize that evaluating conservation and efficiency opportunities, as Kazemier has done, is an important first step before considering renewables. “We explain it in terms of an energy pyramid,” explains Steve Faust with EnSave, a national firm specializing in agricultural energy audits. Faust conducted an energy audit at the dairy earlier this year. “Growers should implement the energy conservation strategies and energy efficiency measures at the bottom of the pyramid before considering the renewable projects at the top.”
The dairy has addressed several major efficiency opportunities with improvements in the milking and milk cooling systems. When it was time to replace the dairy’s vacuum pump eight years ago, Kazemier was encouraged to add a variable speed drive to the new pump. “The technology had just come out, so I was a bit nervous about it at first,” he explains. “But the variable speed drive really helps the pump maintain a more constant pressure, much better than the old pump. We really need to keep the pressure on the milking system from 12.1 to 12.3 pounds per square inch – variations above that are harmful to the cows. With the old pump, we would get pressures up to 12.5 PSI, which would hurt the animals. The new pump and variable speed drive do a better job of milking cows.” He estimates the variable speed drive has saved the dairy $1000 per month on electricity costs.
Another milking efficiency improvement involved switching from a manual to an automatic wash system in the milking parlor. “We’ve gone from needing five water heaters to two,” says Kazemier.
The dairy has also made several efficiency improvements to the milk cooling system. “We use a Kaeser scroll compressor in our refrigeration system,” Kazemier explains. “It’s much more efficient than a reciprocating compressor. We’ve installed a plate cooler to cool the milk before it goes into the holding tank. Also, we had been using a lot of city water in our cooling system, so we put in an electrical and glycol cooling system. The glycol gets recycled through the system and eliminates the wasted water.”
The dairy recently replaced its separator, which separates manure solids and liquids. “It’s saving us about $1400 a month in electricity use,” Kazemier explains. At the same time, he replaced three older manure pumps with a combined capacity of 600 gallons per minute with one efficient pump that pumps 1800 gallons per minute. “The pumps used to run all the time. Now the pump keeps up with the manure supply and even shuts off.”
“If you have a system that’s 15 or more years old, look hard at replacing it,” Kazemier says of the manure separating system. “You can do a lot more with a lot less.”
The dairy’s newest efficiency project is to replace its lighting, upgrading T12 fixtures to higher-efficiency T8s. EnSave conducted an energy audit to verify the savings level of the lighting upgrade, and Kazemier applied for a USDA Rural Development Energy Efficiency grant to help cover the cost. The Energy Trust of Oregon will cost-share the lighting upgrade and the project is also eligible for an Oregon Business Energy Tax credit for 35% of the total cost.
With a comprehensive set of efficient equipment in place and in progress, the dairy is now looking at adding a solar array to a building that would offset some of its electricity use. Kazemier has also been working with a project developer to plan a methane digester at the facility. In addition to generating renewable energy, the digester will reduce emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas.
“We have the third highest milk producing herd in the nation,” says Kazemier. “I’m looking forward to saying that we use energy efficiently and have a low carbon footprint as well.”
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