Water Utility to Save $200K per Year by Turning Human Waste to Energy

SAN ANTONIO, TX — Following on the recent news that the United Kingdom could see 15 percent of its energy generated by human waste by 2020, the city of San Antonio has just opened the first-ever "poo-powered gas plant" in the United States.

That's what the the San Antonion Water System (SAWS) is calling the plant in its press release. Seriously.

The biogas plant is a partnership between SAWS and utility company Ameresco. Through the deal, Ameresco will capture the biogas generated during the process of treating raw sewage and sell it on the open market.

Ameresco will generate at least 900,000 cubic feet of biomethane and give a royalty on sales of the energy back to SAWS. The Water System expects to save at least $200,000 a year through the process, both from the royalty of the sales from Ameresco and from a reduction in sewage treatment costs.

Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/10/20/water-utility-save-200k-year-turning-human-waste-energy