Hungarian monks turn abbey green with biomass plant

Reuters
Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:34am EDT
By Marton Dunai

PANNONHALMA, Hungary (Reuters) - The Abbey of Pannonhalma celebrated its millennium in 1996. The monks never looked back, and already have the next 1,000 years in mind.

Before winter sets in, the picturesque hilltop Abbey will get its own heating plant that runs on wood refuse from a nearby forestry and plant debris from local farms. It will nearly halve energy costs while cutting fossil fuel usage.

"We will eliminate the need to burn natural gas in all but the coldest days of the year," said chief architect Sandor Beck, pointing at the concrete skeleton of the plant. "We will put solar panels on the roof, and even collect and use rainwater."

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