British dairy farmers are on the cutting edge of a new power source. The dung from their 5,000 cows is fueling a biogas plant on the north coast of Devon, England.
The project is a joint venture between Farmatic of Germany and twenty-eight Devon dairy farmers. The waste is collected and then allowed to ferment for about twenty days to produce methane for the gas-fired generators. The plant is producing enough electricity to power about 900 homes.
The local community has thrown its support behind the eco-venture after concerns about potential odors were quelled. And it turns out that the dung can do more than just generate electricity. The waste slurry is eventually treated and returned to the local farmers as fertilizer.
Reuters
