Solar energy is now making it easier for farms to implement manure treatment technology for the livestock industry.
Livestock Water Recycling’s Innovation Centre has just released the latest advancement in manure treatment technology which allows farmers the ability to power their LWR Manure Treatment System by solar energy.
"Farmers inherently want to leave the world better than they found it,” says Gareth Jenkins, LWR design engineer who oversaw the solar power project. “Environmentalism is core to their belief system, and with the help of new technologies, they are able to continue to grow their business, while leaving a legacy for future generations” Jenkins adds. With a commitment to R&D, and a strong desire to innovate, the LWR Innovation Centre is always looking to find ways to help livestock farmers become more efficient and sustainable. One of the ways to do that is to make it easier for them to install manure treatment technology.
“With federal and state funding pushing the implementation of solar energy, it was clearly the right time to move this project forward,” continues Jenkins. "The Obama administration has announced this past Wednesday morning a series of efforts worth more than $120 million aimed at boosting solar and other clean energy sources. The initiatives focus on the Department of Energy, where the bulk of the funding will go to programs to develop solar power technology and get it into homes, businesses and other facilities.
“President Obama and Vice President Biden are committed to promoting smart, simple, low-cost technologies to help America transition to cleaner and more distributed energy sources, help households save on their energy bills, and to address climate change,” the White House said in a fact sheet outlining the efforts.” All told, this funding will drive the development of affordable clean energy throughout the country.”
California currently leads the solar market in the US, largely due to their supportive solar policies. As the first state to generate more than 5% of electricity from utility scale solar, there is enough solar energy installed in California to power 2,891,000 homes. In 2014 alone, $11.773 billion was invested on solar installations in California.
“The livestock industry has looked to us to provide them with something that they have never had before; the ability to recycle an abundant amount of clean water from their manure, while concentrating valuable nutrients for fertilizer," adds LWR General Manager JR Brooks. "We have commercialized systems operating successfully at livestock facilities across the US, but it is important that we keep innovating. This solar project was the next step in that innovation, and we are proud to announce that it will be available in early 2016.”
