Bloom Energy’s dairy farm installation receives national recognitions for biogas innovation and sustainability achievements

July 26, 2022. Bloom Energy’s groundbreaking dairy biogas-to-fuel cell project, conducted in collaboration with California Bioenergy LLC (CalBio) at Bar 20 Dairy Farms in Kerman, Calif. has achieved two national recognitions. The collaboration was awarded “Project of the Year” by The American Biogas Council (ABC) at the annual BIOGAS AMERICAS conference, while Bar 20 received a 2022 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy for its sustainability efforts, largely thanks to the CalBio and Bloom collaborative technology offering. The collaboration – recognized by ABC for breaking new ground in the U.S. biogas industry and across the global energy landscape – is the first to use renewable biogas to make electricity from fuel cells to power an onsite microgrid and a fleet of electric vehicles (EVs).

This installation addresses the challenges dairy biogas poses to the atmosphere, as this waste contains up to 65 percent methane, and turns what would otherwise be a waste product into clean energy. Bloom Energy and CalBio combined a methane digester, gas clean-up skid, and Bloom Energy’s pioneering, non-combustion fuel cell technology, to provide Bar 20 with an end-to-end, waste-to-electricity solution. This solution captures the methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere in the process of generating clean, on-site power with a negative carbon intensity score.

“We are honored to have our work in this space recognized by the American Biogas Council and Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, as this project with CalBio and Bar 20 Dairy Farms exemplifies Bloom’s capabilities for creating abundant, clean energy that can scale to meet the needs of both urban and rural areas,” said Chuck Moesta, VP Gas Management at Bloom Energy. “Fuel cells are playing a pivotal role in addressing climate change, and the fuel flexibility of the Bloom Energy Server enables operations of all sizes to make smart decisions about how they get their power – and in the case of biogas, we enable the ability of a closed loop, clean energy system.”

“It is an honor to recognize Bloom Energy and CalBio for breaking new ground as the first to use renewable biogas to make electricity from fuel cells to power an onsite microgrid and a fleet of electric vehicles,” said Patrick Serfass, executive director of ABC. “They are shining example of the innovative spirit that is powering the massive growth of biogas in America and globally, as well as the commitment to solving complex energy and environmental challenges with sustainable solutions that benefit us all.”