The nation's first biomethane from cow manure-powered trucks hit the road from Central Valley Hilarides Dairy, in February 2009, according to Steve Sokolsky, CALSTART's project manager. Manure from 10,000 cows is digested and upgraded from bio-gas to biomethane on-site and will power two tractor trailers for use at the dairy. "Trucks and buses have been operating on biomethane in Europe for some time," Sokolsky said. "This is the first time that methane derived from bio sources has been used as a transportation fuel in the U.S." Hilarides Dairy converted two Peterbilt 386 tractors to run on compressed biogas and the trucks are used to haul milk and feed throughout California. Hilarides Dairy estimates that it will avoid using 650 gallons of diesel fuel per day by operating on biomethane. Funding for the project came from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, and other project partners included Western United Resource Development, Inc.; Sustainable Conservation; California Department of Food and Agriculture; Hilmar Cheese Company; Kustom Products; Phase 3 Renewables; and University of California, Davis.

---