Cow Dung Electricity: Electricity can be generated at home from cow dung through biogas system. Also, under right conditions, this electricity can also run appliances like air conditioners. However, running an air conditioner requires a much larger setup than the small biogas plant used for cooking gas in villages. A typical domestic biogas plant is usually sufficient for minor needs like kitchen stove and lighting. But to run heavy equipment like air conditioners, commercial level or high capacity domestic setup is required.

Electricity will be generated from biogas

Cow dung itself does not generate electricity directly. This process starts inside the biogas digester. It is usually called Gobar Gas Plant. A mixture of cow dung and water is put into an airtight tank where bacteria break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen. This process produces methane-rich biogas. Then this gas is sent to an engine or generator running on biogas. Then this engine or generator converts this fuel into electricity.

Common Domestic Plant Capacity

Most of the small domestic biogas systems installed in village houses are mainly made for cooking purposes. Such plants usually produce enough gas to run kitchen burners and a few small bulbs or low-power electrical appliances. These systems typically rely on dung collected from 2 to 4 cattle and are not powerful enough to run high load equipment continuously.

Also read: How do Muslims living in America celebrate Bakrid, is there goat sacrifice at home there also?

Big system required to run air conditioner

A typical 1.5 ton inverter air conditioner usually requires about 1.5 to 2 kW of power to run. At the time of starting, even more electricity is required. To handle this load properly, a biogas generator of at least 3 kilowatt to 5 kilowatt capacity will be required.

The biggest challenge is the quantity of raw materials required. The air conditioner may require about 150 to 200 kg of fresh cow dung daily to run it continuously for about 5 to 6 hours a day. For this reason, such systems are more beneficial for dairy farms, cowsheds or farming operations with a large number of cattle than for ordinary urban homes.

Commercial plants can power an entire house

Biogas systems deployed on a large scale can do more than just run air conditioners. Commercial biogas plants can generate enough electricity to power household appliances, water pumps, tube wells, agricultural motors and even several rooms in a house or farm.

Also read: There is a ban on feeding pigeons in these countries, know what is the threat to humans from this bird?