Dairy farm displaces diesel with dual-fuel propane engine

A California dairy farm saved about $4,000 a month in fuel costs in May and June with two propane-diesel retrofit systems installed on its groundwater irrigation pump engines, the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) reports.

Steve Maddox, third generation dairyman and managing partner of Maddox Dairy, installed the systems in 2012 to reduce fuel costs and diesel exhaust emissions as part of the dairy’s sustainability initiatives. The converted engines run on 50 percent propane and 50 percent diesel, and have enabled Maddox Dairy to cut its diesel consumption in half and its fuel costs by 25 percent, according to a press release outlining the results.

California Clean Air Technologies developed the system, which meets the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) stringent exhaust gas emission reduction requirements for oxides of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, particulate matter and hydrocarbons. The system also achieves CARB’s off-road Alternative Fuel Certification. CARB certification is accepted by the Environmental Protection Agency for off-road applications nationwide.

PERC is encouraging producers to upgrade their in-use legacy diesel engines to the dual-fuel retrofit system with a $4,000 incentive through the Propane Farm Incentive Program. The system can be installed on existing Tier I, II, and III diesel engines.