Heat from cow manure

Loohuis Agro Neutraal incorporates specially developed floor heating hoses into the floor of the manure cellar during the construction of new cowsheds. By running water through those hoses, heat transfers from the manure to the cellar floor, in turn, heating the cold water. A heat pump upgrades the extracted energy to a usable temperature of 60 degrees Celsius, able to heat for example agricultural buildings. 

When cows are indoors in winter, a lot of warm manure (37 degrees Celsius) is produced. This manure keeps the temperature in the cellar between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius. In summer, when cows are mostly outside, less manure is produced in the cowshed. Still, at least 40 centimetres of manure remains in the cellar, providing an excellent heat source all year long. Should the manure heat not be sufficient, then geothermal heat can be used. Because the manure cellar floor is in close contact with the earth under the shed, the system can be used both as an energy source and temporary energy storage.