How many toilet flushes does it take to power a light bulb?

[mandy]

The question goes something like this: How many toilet flushes does it take to power a light bulb? There's really no answer, but Salt Lake City is exploring a pilot project that would convert sewer waste into energy to run a heating a cooling system in a downtown building, city water department official Jeff Niermeyer said.

It sounds gross, but should be perfectly sanitary.

The heat, Niermeyer explains, will come partly from solid waste, and mostly from warm water that runs in sewage pipes after draining out of toilets, showers and sinks.,,

City officials are intrigued by the system because it promises to reduce carbon dioxide emissions....

full article: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/S...?SITE=WHIZ&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[sneakymagenta]

It sounds gross, but should be perfectly sanitary.

Oh yeah poop is perfectly sanitary.

[stardust]

Maybe that's where the blue reveal light bulbs come from?  Blue poop?

[jezebel]

It's a bit expensive - the system costs $20,000 more than traditional systems

Why would they spend $20,000 more to use this system?