The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s innovative dry fermentation anaerobic biodigester project has been chosen as a finalist for the Readers’ Choice Renewable Energy Award by RenewableEnergyWorld.com.
The UW Oshkosh biodigester is the first of its kind in the western hemisphere and began producing energy last fall.
According to the editors at RenewableEnergyWorld.com, hundreds of nominations were submitted for the 3rd Annual Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards before the finalists were chosen for 11 categories.
RenewableEnergyWorld.com, whose goal is to inform readers about uses of renewable energy worldwide, is obtaining votes for the Readers’ Choice Award. Voting closes on Jan. 20.
“Awards like this one are as much about the people who make it happen as they are about the technology, and UW Oshkosh deserves the recognition as a pioneer in urban renewable energy,” said Mike Lizotte, UW Oshkosh’s sustainability director.
UW Oshkosh’s biodigester harvests gas produced as a result of the decomposition of agricultural plant and food waste within its airless storage chambers. The gas is used to produce heat and electricty at the plant site off Witzel Avenue, next to the University’s Campus Services Center. The renewable energy facility is expected to initially produce up to 5 percent, and eventually as much as 10 percent, of the campus’ electricity and heat.
“The biodigester is breaking new ground in how to generate renewable energy in cities,” Lizotte added.
The winners of the Readers’ Choice Award, along with the winners in the other 11 categories, will be announced on Feb. 14 at the Renewable Energy World North American Conference and Expo in California.
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