Vermonters (lots of them) can buy energy generated from cow shit

[cali]

Another reason to love our darling cows.

COLCHESTER, VT -- Green Mountain Power customers across Vermont can now support a pure Vermont form of renewable energy produced by over 10,000 Vermont dairy cows, thanks to a new ruling by the Vermont Public Service Board approving the expansion of the GMP Cow Power Program from the limited territory previously served by CVPS to the entire GMP service territory.

Cow Power was first offered to customers in 2004, as an innovative way to offer new, local renewable energy choices. The GMP Cow Power program currently includes 12 farms, and generates 16 million kilowatthours per year -- enough to completely power 2,200 average Vermont homes.

"We are so excited to be able to offer GMP Cow Power to 90,000 additional Green Mountain Power customers," said Mary Powell, CEO of Green Mountain Power. "This program has so many benefits for farms, for the environment, and for Vermont as a whole. The expansion of this program is one more way that we can increase renewable power in Vermont."

To produce Cow Power, farmers feed cow manure into an on-site anaerobic digester. Naturally occurring microbes in the digester convert the waste into several useful byproducts, one of which is methane gas. The methane fuels an engine which drives an electric generator. Heat generated from this process is repurposed to keep the digester warm, and can offset fuel purchases on the farm for hot water and space heating. The energy generated is fed into the GMP electrical system for distribution to customers.

The coarse plant fibers left over are processed through a mechanical separator. These odorless solids can be used to replace sawdust or sand as bedding for the animals. Solids not used for bedding may be further processed and sold as a garden soil. The liquid portion is an enhanced fertilizer used to grow crops to feed the cows.

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http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130428/GJBUSINESS_01/130429302/-1/FOSNEWS

[cantbeserious]

1. Vermont - Leading The Way In Using "BullShit" Constructively

eom

[cali]

2. hey, it's the ladies who deserve the credit here!

99% bullshit free

[cantbeserious]

3. Chuckles

eom

[geckosfeet]

4. Come on cows.

[Worried senior]

5. With these terrible

factory farms becoming more and more the norm; this would be a good solution to the abundance of manure left over. There is an ongoing concern about what to do with it so this might be a great solution for everyone.

[LiberalEsto]

6. Congress needs to switch over to this power system

They are more full of crap than ever

[First Speaker]

7. As long as we don't have to eat it...

...I've suspected for a long time that this is Corporate America's ultimate endgame for us all...*sigh*.