Photos

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. After three years of work, Duke Energy and Duke University are ready to fire up a small power plant in Yadkin County, about hour north of Charlotte, that is fueled by pig feces. The hog farm, owned by Loyd Bryant, 71, was originally built in 1998 but has undergone a recent conversion and evolution to generating power from hog waste. It's just in time for a state requirement, beginning in January, that N.C. utilities make some of their electricity from pig wastes. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. Bryant, far left, walks between a micro turbine (left) and the gas condition skid next to the aeration basin and one of his nine "hog houses" (on right with fans). John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. Vincente Aboyetes (left) and Randy Dimmette (right) workers at Loyd Ray Farms cut the grass around the anaerobic digester in preparation for an upcoming open house at the farm. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant, (left) talks with Tatjana Vujic, director of the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative, about the work the pair has done at the farm. Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Randy Dimmette, a worker at the farm, pries off the sewer lid that contains the hog waste. Loyd Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Randy Dimmette, a worker at the farm, has pried off the sewer lid that contains the hog waste. Loyd Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant, (on right out of frame) talks with Tatjana Vujic, director of the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative, about the work the pair has done at the farm. Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant, talks with Tatjana Vujic (on right out of frame), director of the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative, about the work the pair has done at the farm. Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. After three years of work, Duke Energy and Duke University are ready to fire up a small power plant in Yadkin County, about hour north of Charlotte, that is fueled by pig feces. The hog farm is owned by Loyd Bryant, 71, who checks an exterior display on the micro turbine. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Tatjana Vujic, director of the Duke Carbon Offsets initiative, reads the electrical power meter that display energy generated by the project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Tatjana Vujic, director of the Duke Carbon Offsets initiative, reads the electrical power meter that display energy generated by the project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant, (left) talks with Tatjana Vujic, director of the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative, about the work the pair has done at the farm. Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Switches in the project control building are just some of the ways to control facets of the project which can also be monitored and changed remotely. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Loyd Bryant (his shadow) raises the "curtain" on one of nine "hog houses" on the farm. Bryant has nearly 9000 hogs in a pilot program called Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Swine Waste-To-Energy Carbon Offsets Project. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 a tour was given of a pilot program involving Duke University, Duke Energy and Loyd Ray Farms near Yadkinville, NC. Tatjana Vujic, director of the Duke Carbon Offsets initiative, wlaks between the aeration basin (left) and anaerobic digester (right) on the farm. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com