Ontario’s first RNG-producing dairy farm
At their farm in Ilderton, Ontario, the Stanton family is using a biodigester to break down organic waste for renewable energy production, decreasing methane and GHG emissions.
Why did Stanton Farms choose to invest in the technology for a biogas system? It’s all part of their long tradition of protecting the environment, with a clear sense of the long-term value that energy innovation brings.
“Stanton Farms’ new RNG facility builds on our commitment to sustainability and helps decarbonize Canada’s natural gas upply,” said Laurie Stanton, President, Stanton Farms.
RNG is a carbon-neutral fuel that helps fight climate change. It can be created by capturing emissions from a wide variety of sources, including organic waste, landfills and wastewater treatment plants, and then upgrading it into pipeline-quality gas.
Farms are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which are already being felt. RNG offers a proven, practical way to reduce emissions, improve resilience and meet sustainability goals.
At Stanton Farms, a 3,000-dairy cattle operation, manure and animal bedding are mixed with community-based organic waste from local foodservice and food processing facilities to produce biogas and RNG.
The RNG process provides two-fold greenhouse gas emission reduction: first, by capturing methane that otherwise would be released from the manure into the atmosphere, and second, by displacing the need to use natural gas and using clean, renewable energy instead (sometimes referred to as “avoided emissions”). Recycling valuable by products also helps create a unique, closed-loop sustainable system for the farm.
“By helping to divert community based organic waste from landfill, Stanton Farms is also helping to make Ilderton one of Canada’s most renewable communities by supplying renewable energy for both its heating and electricity needs,” said Laurie Stanton.
Stanton Farms’ new RNG facility will:
- Inject more than 3 million cubic metres of RNG per year to Ontario’s natural gas network.
- Produce enough RNG to heat more than 1,300 homes.
- Divert 60,000 tonnes/year of community-based organic waste from landfill.
- Eliminate 11,000 tonnes of GHG emissions, equivalent to taking more than 2,200 vehicles off the road.
RNG will play an important role in Ontario’s clean energy future
Utilities across Canada have set ambitious RNG targets, aiming to have a five percent blend of RNG in all natural gas streams by 2025 and 10 percent by 2030. This would result in a 14 MT reduction of GHG emissions by 2030.
The biogas sector is forecasted to grow up to 50 percent in the next five years.* To meet the growing demand for RNG in Ontario and beyond, governments are accelerating policy changes to reduce regulatory burden and better support the adoption of RNG facilities on farms.
The Government of Ontario recently amended regulations under the Nutrient Management Act, 2002 to improve opportunities for more farms to produce RNG. The amendments have increased the maximum allowable limits and types of on- and off-farm anaerobic digestion materials permitted for use, to make generating RNG more efficient and economical for farmers. The amendments also simplify operational requirements for the sampling and analysis of received materials.
Get expert help planning and developing your RNG projects
Curious to see if producing RNG is economically viable for your farm? Use Enbridge Gas’ online calculator at enbridgegas.com/rng for a quick cost-benefit analysis to help determine whether the business case adds up.
Contact an Enbridge Gas RNG Specialist at [email protected] to discuss your RNG project potential in more detail.
Our dedicated team of energy experts are ready to provide you with the technical expertise and information to produce and use RNG. From start to finish, they’ll help you to:
- Uncover opportunities to produce and use RNG.
- Plan and develop your RNG projects.
- Access financial and capital support.
- Leverage technical expertise and assistance.
