In the race to implement new energy sources, farms have an advantage: lots of manure. A large chicken farm north of Beijing is taking advantage of this fact by using its chicken manure to generate power and heat. And this isn’t just a small-time farm—the 3 million chickens on the farm produce 220 tons of manure and 170 tons of wastewater each day.

The project is expected to provide 14,600 megawatt hours of electricity a year and help reduce electricity shortages in the region. The biogas is taking the place of coal-fired power, and the project is also helping to control dust levels and reduce odors.

The plant will feature an anaerobic digester to treat waste material, which will produce biogas that will then power 2 GE Jenbacher gas engines. Heat generated from the process will be used in the waste fermentation process and to warm the farm in the winter.

While any facility containing 3 million chickens probably doesn’t treat its animal residents very well, at least this one sets an example for other farms looking to become more self-sufficient—and energy self-sufficiency should always be welcome in a growing country like China, cleantechnica.com reports.

GE Energy China estimates the project will save the farm more than $1.2 million a year in electricity costs. GE’s Jenbacher gas engines can be powered a number of ways, with natural gas, coal mine gas or alternative fuels like biogas from waste and landfills.

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