California, long the most progressive state in the union when it comes to environmental policy, has launched an alternative energy initiative that's, well, innovative.
"When most people see a pile of manure, they see a pile of manure. We saw it as an opportunity", claimed David Albers, a dairyman and the driving force behind the Vintage Dairy Biogas Project, a 33-foot deep vat of cow manure that powers 1,200 homes.
The manure achieves this feat by producing methane gas, which is collected and then pumped into the Pacific Gas & Electric Company's pipeline. Albers considers it a wonderful way to earn a second income. It's also important to note that methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, so this is a solution to a difficult problem that is posed by the cattle of the world-there are 2 million dairy cows in California alone.
Info: Reuters
By new Environmental Graffiti contributor Ben Ray. Ben is a freelance writer, check him out at What's Required
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