The remains after production is a very good eco-friendly manure (organic fertilizer) that is many times better than chemical (inorganic) fertilizers and is used in sustainable farming.

So if small plants are used, the power produced can be used locally and the remains can be used locally in agriculture. The question of long distance transport is wiped out.

Good for the country side.

The cows poop where they usually poop and everyday someone scrapes it all together and puts it in a holding area– then PG&E steps in, puts a lid on it, installs some valves and machinery, and voila! energy.

Links:

1. Dairies convert waste into biogas for PG&E

2. Now That’s Natural Gas

Basically, a dairy can produce enough power to cover it’s own energy costs and can also provide a small amount of power to the rest of the grid.

One would imagine that this would greatly help dairy farmers be self-sufficient and continue producing milk for our breakfast tables without going in the poorhouse.

I’m sure Wai Yip Tung could sneak into one of the dairies at night and contribute to the grand experiment.

The manure does not need to be shipped, because the methane is extracted locally. They make some sort of tarp structure over the manure pit, to seal it anaerobically, pump out the methane, store it in tanks, meter it, and then probably truck it out.

Natural gas and propane are delivered the same way.

And in the Philippines, I witnessed someone doing the same thing in his own back yard with his own and pig manure. The methane went straight into a Coleman camping range in his kitchen and produced an odor-free blue flame.

If you want to displace coal, use nuclear power.