While the rest of the world dabbles with wind, wave, solar, and biomass energy sources, Britain has taken a big leap in the search for renewables.
U.K. Department of Trade and Industry has sanctioned tests by power generators into burning cattle tallow, meat, and bone meal to generate electricity.
Carcasses will be created under a plan to slaughter 3-4 million cattle more than 30 months old in a bid to stamp out 'mad cow' disease. Fear of humans catching this disease is behind worldwide bans on British beef exports.
A Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food official said 257,000 carcasses of cattle slaughtered under this program are being held in cold storage around Britain while government decides what to do with them.
Ian Lang, President of the Board of Trade, gave a written answer to a question asked in parliament, outlining government's latest brainstorm.
"Among other steps," said Lang, "it has asked the power generators to consider the possibility of burning such wastes in power stations.
"National Power plc (NP) and Powergen plc are currently conducting combustion testing on the materials at test facilities at Didcot, Oxfordshire, and Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottinghamshire, respectively."
Beef tests
National Power said the aim of the tests is to study effects on plant performance of burning beef products in a normally coal-fired unit.
The tests will also establish modifications required to enable the material to be handled and burned satisfactorily in power plants, NP said.
"The tests on a rig at Didcot power station will be carried out only under conditions acceptable to the Environment Agency," NP said.
"They will involve no more than a few metric tons of meat, bone meal, and tallow. The trials will be limited to 3-4 weeks. The rig is fitted with highly efficient emissions removal equipment, and the trials will have an insignificant environmental impact."
Lang said it is too early to say burning cattle products in power stations is feasible. If so, special authorization will be required under the Environmental Protection Act.
Sheep to follow?
You have to admire British government's thinking: rather than waste money researching how mad cow disease is spread and how the spread can be prevented, it gets straight to the heart of the issue and looks to recoup some of its losses.
The beauty of this particular form of renewable energy is that plenty of research has been carried out into how to grow cattle efficiently. With competing renewable sources, such research is still in its infancy.
Government has also recently restricted sales of some sheep products, spreading concern among sheep farmers that their income too is going to be hit. Maybe government views sheep as another future energy source?
As with other alternative energy sources, cost per unit could be the big drawback. Government has already promised to pay 29 million ($43.4 million) to farmers for losses on cattle slaughtered under the scheme to date.
It would be interesting to see how the cost per kilowatt of beef-fired generation compares with the more mundane modern gas-fired power stations. I have a feeling government will not be doing this calculation.
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