Scientists in Germany are looking into what sounds like an environmental dream: using fields full of gorgeous yellow flowers to produce energy.
But the plan might not just be gentle whismy: the "cup plant", Silphium perfoliatum, is said to produce as much biogas as maize, a crop currently grown to produce fuel. To begin with, the flowers will be grown as an experiment, and carefully monitored to see whether they're producing enough biogas over the next three years to make them into a viable energy source.
Who knows: if it works out, we could literally start running our appliances on flower power!
Hans Bünting, director of the project, said: “In future, we want to break new ground when it comes to supplying our biogas plants. Testing new raw materials is key in this regard.”
