How cow manure is powering hundreds of homes

By Marlee Ginter

Summary

The process goes something like this: All the farm's cow manure gets collected in a 1 million-gallon tank, and gets turned into methane gas. That gas then helps power some 500 homes in Rexville near LaConner.

Story Published: Sep 28, 2009 at 9:42 PM PST

Story Updated: Sep 28, 2009 at 9:42 PM PST

How cow manure is powering hundreds of homes
REXVILLE, Wash. -- This is one stinky story, but it needs to be told.

Two local brothers are turning cow waste into watts.

The process goes something like this:

All the farm's cow manure gets collected in a 1 million-gallon tank, and gets turned into methane gas. That gas then helps power some 500 homes in Rexville near LaConner.

"It runs day and night," said Kevin Maas. He and his brother, Daryl Maas, came up with the idea.

The two say they never planned to go into power, but say their operation only makes sense.

"This is local energy," Kevin Maas said. "If this was not being produced here, it would probably be produced with imported natural gas. So this is money that is staying right here in the community."

The green power process saves farmer Garritt Kuipers up to $5,000 a month. Once the manure is recycled into power, the sterilized leftovers come back to him in the form of cow bedding that he no longer has to buy.

More than 24,000 Puget Sound Energy customers participate in the Green Power program.

Viewer Poll

Facing a $2.6 billion deficit, some lawmakers want to roll back I-960 to make it easier to raise taxes. Should lawmakers:

  • Override I-960 and allow a simple majority to raise taxes
  • Keep I-960 and require a 2/3’s vote for tax increases