Chocolate Power!
Can chocolate help the environment?
Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH), the state’s largest electricity producer, and Lindt Chocolate in Stratham, New Hampshire, have come together to go green with chocolate.
Lindt will begin processing chocolate at its plant in Stratham by the end of 2009. The company plans to contribute its leftover cocoa bean shells to PSNH.
PSNH is experimenting with turning those shells into electricity by burning them along with coal in their Schiller Station power plant in Portsmouth. Mixing a biomass product like cocoa shells with coal reduces the amount of carbon dioxide the power plant emits into the atmosphere.
PSNH and Lindt hope that by burning this mixture they might be able to reduce each of their companies’ carbon footprints. Both PSNH and Lindt hope that replacing a fossil fuel with a biomass product like cocoa shells will lead to greener power.
—Chloe Conway
PHOTO: Cocoa beans in a shell sits on a bag of already shelled cocoa beans. The discarded shell can be burned to produce energy. Credit: istockphoto.com
How does burning the cocoa shells put less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? Are they not just adding more carbon dioxide by burning more stuff? Would burying the shells or using them for mulch be a better choice?
Posted by: Heath | 05/23/2009 at 11:02 AM
THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING AND VERY COOL..=]
Posted by: SAMANTHA | 02/24/2010 at 12:34 PM
I love how you organized your facts! It's really interesting! :)
Posted by: Maya | 04/01/2010 at 07:46 PM
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY COCOLATE:)
Posted by: chesnea | 08/05/2010 at 03:08 PM
THATS AMAZING:)
Posted by: CAT | 08/05/2010 at 03:11 PM
I love chocolate!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anna | 08/23/2010 at 12:38 PM
Will it be better if it was all shells.
Posted by: jonathan | 10/08/2010 at 11:40 AM
I totally love chocolate and this great idea!
Go Green!
Posted by: Mishal | 10/15/2010 at 08:37 PM
I love scholastic!
Go Green!
Posted by: Mishal | 10/15/2010 at 08:38 PM
Thats really realy cool!!!
Posted by: Sam | 11/08/2010 at 10:14 AM
GO CHOCOLATE POWER!
ONE DAY CHOCOLATE WILL TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
Posted by: Amanda | 12/08/2010 at 07:58 PM
i really love chocolate. its nice and sweet. the only chocolate i would never eat is dark chocolate.
Posted by: sanders | 12/09/2010 at 07:43 PM
@ Heath: i agree with you. burning stuff is bad for the environment, and excess carbon dioxide isn't what we need at this moment in time, having the hole in the ozone layer above antarctica very thin and large. although i really do LOVE chocolate, i do think that the waste should be turned into mulch or used for compost. yes, it does taste good but i don't think chocolate is saving the world anytime soon. <3 CHOCOLATE
Posted by: Kiba | 01/30/2011 at 02:31 PM
I luv chocolate!!!!!
Posted by: Lilly | 02/06/2011 at 04:13 PM
chocolate is awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: beam | 03/22/2011 at 12:57 PM
So gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood !!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Alicia | 03/22/2011 at 12:58 PM
I want some right now
Posted by: Alicia | 03/22/2011 at 01:00 PM
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo................... so good.......
Posted by: beam | 03/22/2011 at 01:01 PM
hey guys how are you doing iam feeling like chocolate :) ;)
Posted by: Alicia | 03/24/2011 at 12:56 PM
That is amazing and really cool. That is a smart way reduse the amount of carbon dioxide. I would never think that cocoa beans could be used as coal.
Posted by: Celeste | 04/19/2011 at 12:57 PM
Wow that is really cool i think that the lack of carbon dioxide in the air with really help ourselfs and our environment. This is very interesting to see how the cocoa bean can be used. I never thought that there would be such a use for something that was used in chocolate. Its amazing what people can discover i really hope that we keep making acheivements like this in the future.
Posted by: Taylor I. | 04/19/2011 at 12:57 PM