Power of the poo, dog poo that is!

Gary Downie, a 42-year-old Scotsman living in Cheshire (UK) and former Manhattan banker who spent a decade in New York working in the the global oil and gas markets for asset management giant Investec, has turned his knowledge to designing a system of putting the power of dog doo to work.

After three years in development, Britain’s first commercial venture to convert dog waste into a source of free heat and renewable electricity is set be unveiled.

Plans are for Downie's Streetkleen Bio system to divert some of Britain’s annual 700,000 tons of canine poop into digesters capable of turning the waste into methane, CO2 and fertilizer  The converted bio-gas will then be used to power a turbine generating electricity to be sold back to Britain's National Grid.

Sources say the system can operate on as little as 500kg of waste a day and take up to three tons per day, generating 200,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year; enough to power 60 homes.

Learn more about Downie's efforts in 'Fido strikes gold with Britain’s most noxious biofuel: dog excrement.'

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Other companies in the US working to put the power of dog waste to good use include:

Green Pet Compost Company, which launched in October 2009 in the Portland OR area, will take your pet’s waste and turn it into compost. They supply the collection container and a compostable liner, as well as compostable cat box liners and litter. After exposure to high heat temperatures for several days the resulting nutrient-rich compost is donated to local churches and other organizations to be used for landscaping.

EnviroWagg, LLC of Aurora, CO, turns dog waste into DOGGONE GOOD COMPOST®, a safe and nutrient-rich soil amendment that greens up gardens that they sell through their website and various local retail outlets. EnviroWagg collects dog poop from various collection sites including local dog parks and dog waste companies, heats and composts with high heat to destroy all the pathogens, and turns it into usable compost available for purchase.

Green Scoop, located in Columbus, OH, is a removal and composting company. They remove the dog waste from contracted clients either through scooping or pickup, compost the dog and cat waste, and then make available the ability to purchase bulk compost for yard and garden.

Way to go green guys!!!

Photo credit: The Independent