On February 10th, Calgren Ethanol Bioregister launched its new manure-to-energy plant in the small town of Pixley, Tulare County, 60 miles South of Fresno.  Harnessing the power of poop is how this future thinking company is helping California meet its clean energy goals.  It is the first digester (a sealed container where the biological digestion of animal manure can occur and biogas is formed) to be designed as a “closed loop and zero waste system” - meaning it provides its own energy to run itself. The location of this plant is logical since Tulare County is the largest dairy producing county in the USA.  Tapping into the ready supply of manure waste from the dairy farms, the plant operates much like a cow’s stomach,  bacteria that is naturally produced in a cow’s stomach is added to the manure and then it is churned in the digester for 22 days to eliminate any harmful pathogens (like e.coli).  The end result is liquid extracted from the process supplies farmers water for…