HISTORY
Vanguard Renewables was founded in 2014 by John Hanselman and Kevin Chase with three primary goals:
“We set out to be a renewable energy company that helped family farms survive for future generations and we are still that company but the growing demand for climate change mitigation and decarbonization strategies has challenged us to be so much more.”
– John Hanselman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Farm Powered Projects
Institutionally Funded by Mission-Driven Investors Seeking to Impact Climate Change
With investors committed to solving the most challenging environmental dilemmas of our time, Vanguard has a solid base to pursue business expansion that supports climate change mitigation.
Vanguard Launches Manure-only to Renewable Natural Gas Platform in 2019
In late 2019, with a nationally-renown $200 million plus partnership with Dominion Energy, Vanguard Renewables launched its Vanguard Renewables Ag division to expand anaerobic digestion opportunities to larger dairies needing greenhouse gas reduction and manure and nutrient management. A typical Vanguard Renewables Ag dairy waste-to-energy project consists of a cluster of two to four farms and 10,000 to 30,000 dairy cows. Vanguard Renewables Ag currently has dairy waste to renewable natural gas projects in development in 10 states.
Vanguard’s Advanced Organics Recycling Facility goes online in 2020
The new facility in Agawam, Mass. uses the latest technology available to depackage and pre-process food and beverage waste before sending it to one of our Farm Powered anaerobic digesters. It is the most advanced facility of its kind in the Northeast. Expired goods, off-spec batches, and inedible packaged organics can all be accepted for processing.
Expanding Nationwide
One of the largest organics recyclers in America – we’re expanding across the United States. The six operating Farm Powered anaerobic digesters on dairy farms across New England are the foundation for Vanguard’s nationwide rollout of two anaerobic digester platforms: food waste and farm manure to renewable energy and dairy manure-only to renewable natural gas.
AWARD WINNING PROJECTS
Vanguard Renewables and the Goodrich Farm received the 2021 Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability Award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and the 2020 Energy Vision Leadership Award for our pioneering work in organics to renewable energy. The company was also named 2018 Organics Recycler of the Year by the National Waste and Recycling Association.
Our Farm Powered anaerobic digestion projects have been recognized consistently including:
ENERGY OFFTAKE DEFINES THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
PARTNERS
Farm partners are the backbone of our business
We recognize the exceptional challenges that farms face today and the American farmer’s commitment to environmental stewardship. This understanding of the dairy industry, and Vanguard’s substantial financial resources, provide our farm partners with stable, long-term, manure and nutrient management, water conservation, reliable methane sequestration, and a diversified and dependable income stream.
“For the first time, dairies across the country have partners with substantial financial resources and a deep understanding of the dairy industry working alongside them to act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance long-term operational and economic sustainability.”
Kevin Chase, Co-founder and Chief Development Officer
Farmers Feeding Families
In spring of 2020, Vanguard Renewables, Dairy Farmers of America, and our farm partners joined together to bottle and donate nearly 20,000 gallons of milk to more than 7500 families in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Farmers Feeding Families milk donation events provided needed support to people in need due to COVID-19.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH DAIRY ORGANIZATIONS, CORPORATIONS, AND UTILITIES
Alongside our farm partners, Vanguard has a multi-year strategic partnership with Dairy Farmers of America and other farm organizations that help to bring anaerobic digesters to dairies across the U.S. We also partner with leading food and beverage manufacturers, businesses, and food users to provide food and beverage waste reduction and recycling solutions. Our long-term off take agreements with national utilities, corporations, and institutions provide a resource for for carbon negative renewable natural gas procurement and support decarbonization strategies.
