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Biogas systems growing nationwide as methane capture rises

A former EPA advisor under the Biden administration says methane capture projects on U.S. farms have been increasing.

Rod Snyder, who’s currently principal and founder of Junction Strategies – a consulting firm specializing in agriculture, climate, and environmental policy – says these projects can help farmers generate new revenue streams.

“The number of digestors on farms has more than doubled the past 10 years, driven in large part by federal and state incentives to reduce emissions and strengthen domestic energy production.”

He says there are currently 2500 biogas systems operating across all 50 states.

“Based on industry estimates, there are more than 11,000 farms nationwide that could be potential digestor sites.”

Snyder says the federal government has programs that can support growth.

“EPA and USDA jointly operate an initiative called AgSTAR that promotes the use of biogas recovery systems to reduce methane emissions from livestock waste,” he said. “According to EPA, manure based digestors reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 15 metric tons of CO2 equivalent each year.”

Snyder says future success for this industry will depend on the direction of the EPA’s renewable volume obligations and implementation of the 45Z clean fuel production tax credit.

He made his comments during a recent webinar hosted by Agri-Pulse.