Caterpillar 2015 Annual Report Download - page 24

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 24 of the 2015 Caterpillar annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 72

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72

24
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW
Homestead Dairy (continued)
Homestead Green Energy has been in constant operation since October 2013, and the Cat® generator sets are
essential to the waste-to-energy process. The manure is collected in pools and piped 1,700 feet to a pair of mixing
tanks that empty into two anaerobic digesters. Once inside the tanks, the waste is heated and treated with microbes
that produce methane gas, which is used to fuel the gas generators. Generator exhaust heat and jacket water
heat are used to warm up the digesters as part of the fermentation process.
Beyond odor reduction and the financial return from producing electricity, Homestead Dairy uses the dewatered
solids from the digesters as clean bedding for the cows. Additionally, the liquid nutrient byproduct is held in lagoons
and used to fertilize the farm fields.
“By turning this abundant substance into an income stream, we’ve made the dairy more profitable,” said Ryan
Rogers, plant operator for Homestead Green Energy. “It also helps increase nutrient value, which is great for the
environment. The crops absorb the manure better, and odor reduction for the community is a huge benefit.”
The Homestead Green Energy installation demonstrates the economic viability of smaller-scale, waste-to-energy
operations to create wins for business, the community and the environment.
1969 CAT® ENGINES supply
power for the APOLLO 11
MISSION to the moon.