Dairy Generates Power From Cow Waste
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A Marin County dairy has become the latest California farm to generate electricity from cow manure, thanks in part to government programs that grew out of the state’s energy crisis three years ago.
The Straus Family Creamery’s $280,000 methane digester, unveiled this week, converts manure from its herd of 270 cows into electricity that helps power the farm and creamery.
Environmentalists say the methane digester represents a breakthrough for the state’s dairy industry, which leads the nation in production of milk and cheese.
The technology not only provides an alternative form of energy, but helps cut emissions of methane -- a greenhouse gas far more damaging to the ozone layer than carbon dioxide.
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