Summary
Cow manure can be turned into gas to heat homes. Currently, this method heats about a million homes, but there is potential to increase this to 15 million. Some dairy farmers use this process to make their own energy and support the national gas supply.
Key Facts
- Cow manure can release biomethane, a gas used for heating homes.
- About one million homes in the UK currently use biomethane from manure and other sources.
- There is potential to increase this to heat 15 million homes.
- A farm in Somerset uses its cows' manure to produce enough gas to heat 10,000 homes each year.
- Only 2.5% of cow manure is currently used for this process due to high setup costs.
- A village in Somerset celebrates a decade of using biomethane, not from cow manure but from food waste.
- There are 20 biomethane plants in southwest England, with efforts to expand this number.
- Campaigns are underway to increase biomethane production as part of a sustainable energy strategy.
