Manure as renewable energy source

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Story Published: Sep 19, 2007 at 4:18 PM PST

By Elissa Harrington

WEST EUGENE - Mooove over solar and wind power. The fight against global warming has a new, renewable resource. Some people turn their nose up at the mention of bio-gas but it's an overlooked source of energy.

When it comes to renewable energy, there's wind power, solar power, and now, "Moo!" That's right. Cows. Or what comes out of them to be exact. Bruce Anderson at Eugene livestock and auction says their pile is used as fertilizer. "It makes things grow. It makes your tomatoes grow!" says Anderson.

There's another reason this waste shouldn't go to waste. Here, 10 to 15 thousand cattle pass through each year and that makes a lot of manure but Northwest Natural says this manure can actually be used as renewable energy.

A "smart energy" program will capture methane from manure which is 23 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Kim Heiting, the NW Natural Director of Communication explains, "They take manure and put it into a biodigester which mimics a cow's stomach and cooks the manure and optimizes methane which can be converted into energy."

Just one cow makes 120 pounds of waste a day. While heating homes, stoves, and water might be just a cow pie away, other energy companies like EWEB say they don't see manure in their future. John Mitchell of EWEB says,"You would need a lot of manure to serve our customers."

Nevertheless, they hardly poo-poo renewable energy. In fact EWEB just decided to purchase geothermal energy. Both EWEB and Northwest Natural say their customers ask them to explore alternative energy sources. So go ahead, take a whiff of the future.

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