Correction: There are apparently only 8.5 million cows total in the
United States at any given time, according to one site... each cow
producing enough manure to generate about 30 cubic feet of biomethane
per day, which could replace significant amounts of natural gas but not
nearly so much as the quesstimate based on extrapolating the number of
cattle here (CA), to the number nationally.
However, pig and chicken farming are also possible candidates for
renewable fuel being derived as an almost-free side effect of food
production; but the total biomethane potential is probably limited to no
more than 10% of net usage of natural gas in the USA. Every little bit
helps.
As it turns out, over one fifth of all the cattle in the USA reside in
central California (cheese-heads from Wisconsin must be slackers). I had
thought the cow population would be uniform from state to state, but
apparently it is not. The San Joaquin Valley of CA has some of the
nation’s most polluted air and most productive land, and almost 2
million cows. Maybe all that is inter-related. A biomethane algoil and
hybrid farm industry in this state is an ideal solution for both
renewable fuel and air quality...
The biomethane from 8.5 million cows could produce enough electrical
power for either about a million homes yearly, or a million cars if used
as vehicle fuel. The energy requirements are close to the same for the
average car or home, except in the more northern states - but having an
integrated system of fuel and food makes a lot of sense. Not to mention:
air quality.
If our guvernator would ever get out of his humvee convoy, and smell the
air ... say, around Stockton, when driving back to Sacto from
Hollywood... (on those occasions when the Jet is fogged-in) he might be
able to figure this one out without a script.
Jones
