Cow waste to run laptops?

Fancy a bit of cow dung to help you boot up in the morning? Do you need some extra manure for that server?

Well in Victoria, the waste from our favourite bovines could soon be powering our online activities.

In fact, dairy farmers across Australia could be our next source of electrical energy thanks to a new invention being developed under the Victorian State Government’s $28 million Smart SMEs Market Validation Program.

“Under the $28 million Smart SMEs Market Validation Program Victorian company Algae Enterprises will receive almost $1.5 million to pilot the new technology that will help reduce farm waste and provide a new energy source”, Victorian Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings said.

The dairy effluent management project is set to trial an anaerobic bio-digester for biogas production as well algae cultivation technologies for possible production of bio products including biofuels which could be used for electricity production.

And the technology could also be applied to other industries and promote possible export opportunities for the state of Victoria.