Should chicken, pig and dairy farms use the manure they produce to produce electricity?

Question

To help energy independence, to help the environment, to help produce renewible electricity, to help hedge against an uncertain future. Even if it wasn't quite profitible right now wouldn't it be worth it to subsidise it so farms could have scaled power production plants for when energy becomes expensive to the point that it's profitible(or some other even more critical reason) and doesn't need to be subsidised anymore?

Answer 1

They try to use it to fertilize the fields where they grow the feed needed for the animals. They can use some for natural gas production.

Land fills can also use the methane produced to make heat to generate electricity.

Answer 2

The problem is that except for the largest farms, it is nowhere near economical.  To force installation of such systems, smaller farms would be put out of business.

Answer 3

some do already

but to compost it  is probably more energy efficient

Answer 4

How much pollution would be generated by building all these small power plants everywhere? How would you subsidize these power plants? Would you think that building a 10 million dollar power plant for a farmer raising 300 head of cattle makes sense? It is all in the details as to whether anything is a good idea.

Answer 5

I think that is already being done efficiently in some farms.  I Japan, i believe city garbage is used as a source of methane, and enough power is generated to run the garbage trucks.