Yes, you read it correctly: The street lights in the Indian town of Thiruneermalai are run on digested curry. As National Geographic describes it, the human waste from an area housing complex collects in a sump, where the methane gas produced by the "sludge" is used to operate a generator. This biogas produces 3,000 watts of electricity daily, enough to keep the town bright at night. And you thought ovens running on garbage were gross. A friend who lived there this past spring tells me it never smelled bad, but then again, he's been known to generate a fair share of biogas himself. (Just kidding, Gelf!) [National Geographic]

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