It goes without saying that the state of our environment and the future of the planet as a whole have been hot-button issues as of late. The phrases ‘sustainable practices’ and ‘going green’ couldn’t be more en vogue. A particular equine showcase has been walking the green walk the last few years, as it has been using horse manure to help power its event.
It was reported last week that, for multiple years now, electricity needs for the FEI World Cup Jumping qualifiers at the Helsinki International Horse Show have been supplied solely by horse manure.
In terms of the 2019 edition of the event, the four-day showcase was powered by 150 megawatt hours of energy. That energy – which was used to run lights, scoreboards and heat the facility – came via 100 tons of manure, which was produced by a total of 370 horses. Surprisingly enough, there was leftover energy to spare – enough to power 26 small homes in the Finnish city.
“Horse manure is actually quite portent fuel and is comparable to wood bark, having roughly 1.5 megawatt hours per ton,” said Anssi Paalanen, vice president of Fortum HorsePower, which developed the ‘manure-to-energy’ system that was utilized to power the event.
Paalanen went on to say, “That means that only two horses are needed to produce the amount of energy that one single-family home in Finland requires for a full year.”
“The manure-to-energy system has demonstrated that ideas for alternate energy solutions can come from the most unexpected places,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos has been quoted as saying.
It has been reported that roughly 70,000 tons of manure has been collected since the system was installed in 2015, and that manure has been converted to heat for 1,250 customers and electricity for the national power grid.
(With files from the National Post)