Potential of biogas production as renewable energy in smallholder dairy farming in Enrekang District, South Sulawesi

Abstract

The dairy cow in Enrekang Regency not only produces the main product of fresh milk that is processed into “Dangke” (typical food of Enrekang Regency), but it is also able to produce by-products in the form of alternative energy. The purpose of this study is to analyze the potential of renewable energy by utilizing biogas on people’s dairy farms. The study was conducted in Cendana Subdistrict, Enrekang Regency in May 2018 to Juni 2019. Data were collected using observation, interviews, and documentation with dairy farmers using a purposive sampling method and analyzed using quantitative descriptive. The results show that the potential for feces production over the past five years from 570 dairy cows can produce 11.402 kg/day. Thus, the biogas produced is 456 m3/day, considering that one cow can produce biogas of 2 m3/day and 1 m3 of biogas can be used equivalent to 0,62 liters of kerosene and 0,46 liters of LPG gas. Besides, the potential of biogas energy can meet the cooking needs of one family (4-5 people) for 190 hours or 8 days, considering that the energy contained in one m3 of biogas is 2,000-4,000 Kcal or equivalent to 3 hours. Biogas technology has provided many benefits including improving the health of breeders’ families, used to process cow’s milk into dangke and saving LPG gas expenditure expenses so as to be able to provide additional income for farmers, even though the value generated is not large enough, but the reduction in costs is enough to reduce the cost burden household issued every month.