Horse manure will be used to power an event this month.

By Equestrian Life

A horse event in Finland this month plans to meets its energy needs — from scoreboards to lighting — via horse manure.

Event organisers of the Helsinki International Horse Show, held 18-22 October, plan to generate 140 megawatts of power to cover the event. They’ll need around 126 tonnes of manure — an amount equivalent to the annual dung produced by 14 horses — to produce the energy required. Scientists estimate that the average horse produces around nine tonnes per year. Yes, that’s why it feels like you’re constantly picking it up — because there’s nine tonnes of the stuff!

Woodchip suppliers Fortum HorsePower provide bedding for stables; they later collect the manure and bedding and use it in energy production. The manure us burned like any other biofuel. The service was launched this autumn in Sweden, where there are already close to 3,000 horses producing energy. During the event, Fortum HorsePower will deliver wood-based bedding for the 250 or so horses that stay in temporary stalls at the Helsinki Ice Hall and use the manure/bedding mix at Fortum’s Jarvenpaa power plant.

Read the full press release from Fortum here.

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