BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO) — Northwestern Energy is helping college students understand what it takes to supply energy to its customers.
Around 30 mechanical engineering students from South Dakota State University squeezed into two buildings at the Northwestern Energy renewable gas natural facility Tuesday afternoon.
“We went through all the pieces of equipment that we installed out here and some of the different design iterations that we went through, problems we ran into and how we solved those,” Northwestern Energy engineer Zach Erickson said.
“It really drives home the point of where does our energy come from? Now, with this cold day, when we turn up the gas heat, we see where that gas is coming from,” South Dakota State mechanical engineering professor Mike Twedt said.
The facility sends renewable natural gas produced from the manure of dairy cows to the company’s energy customers.
“The methane reduction is big from an environmental piece, and it’s also advantageous to the dairy farmers that are able to gain a revenue stream from contracting that manure,” Erickson said.
For the students, the tour was eye-opening.
“It definitely exceeded my expectations. Getting to see just the quantity of gas that is being moved at any given time is shocking,” senior mechanical engineering major Ryan Olson said.
“When you think about it, it seems like an abstract concept, like, oh, what is a wind farm or pipeline a couple of hundred miles away have to do with me? But the fact that you’ve got local energy coming into Brookings and being reused, I think is very interesting,” senior mechanical engineering major Matthew Anderson said.
And they walked away with a better understanding of what it takes to keep the lights on.
“I think what’s being done here is important because it really captivates on the necessity for a variety of different energy sources. There’s no one good answer to providing energy, so having a variety is really helpful,” Olson said.
Right now, four dairies around the Brookings area supply manure for Northwestern Energy.
