Alternative energy; 9,000 pigs plus a high-tech waste digester equals methane

By Bruce Henderson | The Charlotte Observer

YADKINVILLE, N.C. — The old saw about using every part of a pig but the squeal now includes its droppings, which are producing electricity on a Yadkin County farm.

Duke University is a partner with Duke Energy and Google in testing a system that captures methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from manure. The gas fuels a small power plant that makes enough energy to run the waste-processing system and part of the farm itself.