Gaseous cows were once an environmental problem, but now they'll be part of the solution. A California dairy farm recently began producing natural gas from a giant vat of liquid cow manure in one of the smelliest forms of renewable energy. David Albers, the thinktank behind this project, is optimistic that his new source of energy could provide power to 1,200 homes each day.

"When most people see a pile of manure, they see a pile of manure. We saw it as an opportunity for farmers, for utilities, and for California," Albers said.

Cows have earned a reputation for being eco-unfriendly due to the methane (worse for the environment than carbon dioxide) in their farts and decompsing manure. In Australia alone, they are responsible for 14 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and experts say finding a solution for these emissions would be of great benefit to the fight against global warming. This is one step towards utility companies in California making renewable energy account for 20 per cent of their electricity supplies within the next two years, as directed by state regulators.

Hit the jump to read the full scientific explanation of how the manure is turned into a renewable energy source.

» Reuters Environment