Monday, July 28, 2008

Cows Making Electricity

Cow Power Could Generate Electricity for Millions
Converting livestock manure into a domestic renewable fuel source could generate enough electricity to meet up to 3% of North America's entire consumption needs and lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, according to research published July 24 in the Institute of Physics' Environmental Research Letters.

The journal paper, "Cow Power: The Energy & Emissions Benefits of Converting Manure to Biogas," has implications for all countries with livestock as it is the first attempt to outline a procedure for quantifying the national amount of renewable energy that herds of cattle and other livestock can generate and the concomitant GHG emission reductions. Read More

It is interesting to see how much power we could generate from manure. Obviously there are a lot of details that would have to be figured out in order to make this a reality but it does show how important livestock are not only for food but also for fuel and pharmaceuticals. Livestock are one of the original renewable resources.

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