Duke U Delays Gas Plant, Considers Hog Waste

Duke University has indefinitely delayed construction of a combined heat and power plant that would have run on natural gas. The university’s commitment to going carbon neutral by 2024, paired with student backlash surrounding the proposed plant, has spurred the university to instead consider powering parts of campus with methane captured from industrial hog farm waste, called “biogas.” Biogas has high levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Using biogas for energy reduces the amount of methane released into the atmosphere.

The student-led Duke Climate Coalition praised this change. Activists also urged the university to include communities near hog farms in the decision-making process, according to Energy News Network. — By Sara Crouch