No BS: Cow-sourced methane power in California

Photo by foxypar4. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Biodiesel made from pigs. Using methane to make gas. Getting hydrogen from cow plop. Using waste, some from animals, to generate power is not a new idea. In California, though, methane captured from cow manure is being used to created power that people are using today. This is real, it's happening, and I want to drive an EV powered this way.

The Vintage Dairy Biogas Project, built by BioEnergy Solutions, might soon power up to 1,200 homes around Riverdale, CA that get their energy from PG&E. Considering that Vintage Dairy has 5,000 cows, that's about four cows to power one home. Not bad. California rules state that 20 percent of the electricity generated in California needs to come from renewable sources by 2010. PG&E says that it's already at 14 percent. There are almost two million diary cows in California and other farmers are interested in using their methane to generate power. The potential is enormous.

[Source: Reuters / Nichola Groom]

Share This Photo X