This is Bill Tsutsui with another Postcard from Asia from the Center for East Asian Studies.

What could be more fitting in the Year of the Pig than to turn to the pig for power? And that’s what is happening here in South Korea. In an effort to develop environmentally-friendly, renewable energy sources, the South Koreans have opened up a power plant that uses pig poop to produce electricity. Really. Right now, the model plant has the capability of burning 20 tons of poop a day to produce 30 kilowatts of electricity – enough to light up about 100 homes. The goal is to build enough plants to turn 51 million tons of animal excrement into energy. That would be the equivalent of 360,000 tons of oil. Of course, the temptation to close a Postcard like this using bathroom humor is almost irresistible. Fortunately, time’s up.

With thanks to Randi Hacker for this text, from the Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Bill Tsutsui. Wish you were here.