Britain’s cow dung to help heat 750,000 homes this winter

In the United Kingdom, Britain’s cow-dung, left-over food and household sewage will produce enough green gas to heat over three-quarters of a million homes this winter, according to data released by Energy Networks Association as part of its first ever annual Britain’s Green Gas Scoreboard. Britain’s Green Gas Scoreboard also shows that a total of 109 biomethane green gas production sites are now connected to Britain’s gas grid, with developers now building a further 23 sites across the country. In 2011, only 1 site was connected to the gas grid.

The report also showed:

• From food waste, thrown-out by food processing sites and restaurants, is providing enough biomethane to heat 211,552 homes, almost the same number of homes as in Edinburgh (233,369).
• From farm waste, such as cow dung, is providing enough biomethane to heat 83,100 homes, the same number of homes in York (83,552).
• From crop waste, left over from the harvesting of crop such as wheat, barley and maize, is providing enough biomethane to heat 151,109 homes, more than the number of households in Cardiff (142,600).
• From sewage plants is providing enough biomethane to heat 128,442 homes, more than the number of homes in Newcastle (119,000).
• 181 ‘flexible generation’ gas power plants are now connected to the gas grid, and are designed to support local wind and solar farm developments by providing electricity for those times when the sun isn’t shining, and wind isn’t blowing and are planned to be converted to run on hydrogen under the Gas Goes Green Pathway.
• 74% of Britain’s local gas pipes have now been upgraded so they are ‘hydrogen-ready’, to help ensure homes will have a choice of different green heating technologies to reduce their carbon emissions, including hydrogen-ready boilers.