Dorset's cows could help solve the UKs energy crisis
Farmers urge the government to invest in the "untapped potential" of cow poo
Dorset's cattle farmers might just have the answer to solving the UKs energy crisis as they look to use cow poo to power our homes.
Arla UK, a major dairy products company in the UK, say they've found a way of turning cow manure into a renewable energy source which they claim is as efficient as diesel.
James Pirie, Arla’s Vice President, says the method of turning manure into a renewable energy has been tried and tested and “proven to work”.
He told us: “We have recently run some trials where we have created 27 tonnes of biofuel from cow poo and that has enabled us to power seven trucks within the Arla fleet.”
The dairy company believes this is a “relatively untapped opportunity”. In Dorset alone there are roughly 170,000 cows and, according to Arla, one cow can produce 200kg of methane in a year.
They say this biogas cow poo has the potential to turn 91 million tonnes of manure and 10 million tonnes of food waste into 8 billion cubic metres of biomethane.
Mr Pirie explained this layman’s terms: “If we utilise all of the organic waste, we have the opportunity to reduce Co2 by 27 million tonnes which is the equivalent of planting 450 million trees.”
He added: “In a world of resource scarcity, we have identified a renewable energy source from a waste product and now we ask the government to invest in that and support us, so we unlock that value.”
Arla does not believe the latest strategy to deliver energy security in the UK “goes far enough” and calls for the government to invest in their ‘anaerobic digestion strategy’ that has the potential to power 6.4 million homes.
If Arla’s strategy is successful, farmers have the potential to play a major role in the future of the UK’s energy security, using natural resources to provide more energy independence.