Netherlands Opens Cow Dung Powered Plant

November 14th, 2009 by Beth Graddon-Hodgson

It seems that the more time that goes on, the more we see poop being converted into a useful energy source. The latest nation to jump on board this new green trend in alternative energy is the Netherlands with the opening of a cow dung powered plant this Friday.

The plant is located in a more rural area where there is a big farming industry, including a dairy plant which is already making its own contribution to local sustainability. Now, it’s really making a contribution to the community, since the dairy cows’ dung is being converted into biogas that will provide heat to approximately 1,100 homes in the area. The manure, which will be fermented with grass, will also fuel the new thermal plant’s wind turbines.

Another cow manure plant opened this year in the Netherland, and marks a growing trend in an industry that’s moving towards alternative energy and gas sources, making use of a resource that comes from one of the most natural sources around!

Via: Reuters

Image Via: Flickr User Paul Stevenson with a Creative Commons License

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Tags: Biogas, cow dung, green energy, netherlands

About the Author

Beth Graddon-Hodgson

Bud Bundy

“The manure, which will be fermented with grass, will also fuel the new thermal plant’s wind turbines” – HUH? There’s a what now? Since when do wind turbines need fuel?

Maybe they meant ‘wind’ in the sense of ‘to pass wind’? If so, I think that’s a fabulous name, the ‘Manure Powered Wind Turbine’…
Bud Bundy

“The manure, which will be fermented with grass, will also fuel the new thermal plant’s wind turbines” – HUH? There’s a what now? Since when do wind turbines need fuel?

Maybe they meant ‘wind’ in the sense of ‘to pass wind’? If so, I think that’s a fabulous name, the ‘Manure Powered Wind Turbine’…
Steve

Natural sources? Since when is a cattle farm natural? And what about using the poop as fertilizer? So let me get this straight. We chop trees down to make farms. Then we use the crap for heat. Then we use chemical fertilizer on crops because we burned all the crap. Seriously, someone needs to save the environment from the environmentalists.
Steve

Natural sources? Since when is a cattle farm natural? And what about using the poop as fertilizer? So let me get this straight. We chop trees down to make farms. Then we use the crap for heat. Then we use chemical fertilizer on crops because we burned all the crap. Seriously, someone needs to save the environment from the environmentalists.
Diwakar Sinha

What nonsense!!! in India we have been doing this for ages, its called a “Gobar Gas Plant” and quite a few villages are powered by this given the vast size of our country and difficulty in supplying infrastructure to every nook and corner. its a very blatant plagiarism with no credit given to the source of the inspiration. but anyways well done as long as theres some good bieng done to the world.
Diwakar Sinha

What nonsense!!! in India we have been doing this for ages, its called a “Gobar Gas Plant” and quite a few villages are powered by this given the vast size of our country and difficulty in supplying infrastructure to every nook and corner. its a very blatant plagiarism with no credit given to the source of the inspiration. but anyways well done as long as theres some good bieng done to the world.