Killington Resort to Use Cow Manure to Power K-1 Express Gondola

Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America, today announced that it will power its K-1 Express Gondola during the 2012-13 season with electricity generated directly from cows on Vermont dairy farms. The initiative was made possible through Killington’s enrollment in Green Mountain Power’s Cow Power program, which enables GMP customers to purchase all or part of their electricity at a premium and support Vermont’s dairy farms as well as the development of new cow power projects across the state.

Perfected over the last ten years, the GMP Cow Power process is very simple. Farms collect cow manure throughout the day, mixing it with wash water from the milking equipment which is then pumped into an anaerobic digester. The slurry flows through a digester for about three weeks at 100 degrees Fahrenheit allowing bacteria to convert the manure into biogas, about 60% methane gas and 40% carbon dioxide. The biogas is then delivered to a modified natural gas engine, which drives an electric generator to create electricity. Finally, the energy generated is fed onto the GMP electrical system which ultimately powers the K-1 Express Gondola. 

The left over manure in the digester does not go to waste; it is separated into solid and liquid portions. The liquid portion is used as enhanced fertilizer and the solids, consisting of plant fibers including grass, corn stalk fibers, grain hulls, etc. can replace sawdust as bedding for the cows. 

Currently, 13 Vermont farms, with roughly 10,000 total dairy cows producing 300,000 gallons of manure per day, participate in the GMP Cow Power program and are compensated for their electric generation and the related environmental benefits. The energy is used locally and the program continues to grow annually with new farms and new customers joining regularly. 

Josh Harper ( More Posts)

Josh Harper is an Intern Writer for The Ski Channel. He is a Linfield Wildcat Graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Business and Sports Coaching. Born in Encino, California, Josh moved around when he was younger around the state, but has resided in Santa Monica for the past 14 years. He is an avid skier, and has skied in some of the top skiing areas, such as Mammoth Mountain, Deer Valley and Whistler Blackcomb. Josh studied at Linfield College in McMinnville, OR from 2008-2012 studying general business while aspiring to be a Head Basketball Coach in the near future, gaining experience as a Student Manager/Assistant Coach for Linfield’s Women’s Basketball Team his junior year.