HomeBiogas 2.0: Ready-To-Use Biogas Solution for the Home

There are a lot of pointless Kickstarters out there. This is NOT one of them.

Whether it's a DIY biogas digester made from an old bulk liquids container, or a UK entrepreneur trying to put a "green gas mill" on every proposed fracking site, TreeHugger has covered many different biogas stories before. They tend to split into two groups, however -- either large-scale, industrial efforts to replace existing natural gas business models, or super small efforts led by DIY enthusiasts who are not afraid to get their hands dirty.

For deeply impractical but enthusiastic environmentalists like myself, that means that biogas can be frustrating. I either have to wait for a big company to start offering it, or I have to figure out how to safely use a reciprocating saw, or I have to wait for a North Carolina-based biogas supply.

It's anyone's guess which will come first....

That's why HomeBiogas—in particular the launch of HomeBiogas 2.0—is so exciting. Having already crowdfunded one backyard home biogas system that's now being used in 1,000 homes worldwide, HomeBiogas is at it again, launching a second kickstarter focused on bringing a redesigned, efficient and lower cost version to mass production. According to the campaign video, improvements include 50% better efficiency, easier install and the addition of a home biogas stovetop cooker.

© HomeBiogas

Given the huge problem of food waste going to landfill, an appliance like this could go a significant way toward reducing a household's carbon footprint. Not only does it prevent methane emissions related to food rotting in landfill (yes, it can take cooked food, including meat and fish!), but it can provide up to three hours' worth of gas for cooking, too—replacing natural gas that might otherwise be fracked and transported from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. As an added bonus, you also get free fertilizer for your garden.

Check it out, and consider contributing. The team is already at $59,673 of their $75,000 goal—but the more they raise, the sooner they can bring this thing to market. (Campaign rewards include an option to get a unit for yourself, or to donate a unit to communities in either Kenya or Puerto Rico.) And for once, this is a crowdfunding campaign that I am genuinely excited about seeing come to fruition.