California Energy Commission Funds Biogas Project

The California Energy Commission approved a $5 million grant to Colony Energy Partners Tulare to construct a digester for processing waste that will produce 2.8 million DGEs of biogas each year, displacing an equal amount of diesel fuel used by trucks in the San Joaquin Valley. The grant is made possible through the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP), which supports the development and use of alternative and renewable fuel projects and advanced transportation technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on petroleum-based fuels. The project is nearly three times larger than any other biogas project funded by the Energy Commission. Colony’s Endeavor Facility outside Tulare, California, provides a disposal option for high strength liquids and organic waste. The initial design capacity will allow 500 wet tons of accepted waste per day—waste with a solids content up to 40 percent. The organic waste will be converted into biomethane for use throughout the transportation industry, replacing 5,000 gallons per day of diesel fuel.