Finnish power companies turn to animal poo for cleaner electricity

In the search for cleaner ways to generate electricity, power companies in Finland have set their sights on an energy source which is distinctly more brown than green: animal dung. 100 tons of manure from this year's Helsinki International Horse Show was incinerated to produce enough energy to power the four-day event and heat homes in the capital. Energy company Fortum claims that that the manure produced daily by two horses can heat a single family home for a year. Meanwhile energy company Vantaan Energia has launched a campaign for dog owners to "give poo a new life" by sending their pets' doings to be incinerated at the firm's waste to energy plant. Vantaan Energia burns 1,000 tonnes of household rubbish every day, which it says produces efficient energy with limited emissions and leftover waste products.