Anaerobic Digestion

In October 2006 the Cornwall Agri-food Council in conjunction with the Farm Wildlife Advisory Group and the Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership organised a conference at the Eden project to promote the use and installation of renewable energy generation technology on farms. The conference was attended by over 180 farmers who were keen to hear about the opportunities provided by this technology.

 

Attendees were asked to fill in a feedback form to identify what assistance they would require in order for them to move forward with installing renewable energy technologies on their farms.  This feedback provided the basis for the development of the Energy Collect initiative.  It also indicated that there was a need to increase the awareness of the range of technologies on offer by organising a series of study visits to see them working in practical surroundings.

 

A number of local study visits were arranged during March, to see ‘live’ renewable energy technologies within Cornwall and Devon.  All visits were well attended and resulted in the Cornwall Agri-food Council Development Team taking the project to the next step.  Funding was secured from the Learning and Skills Council to part fund a series of study programmes to locations selected throughout Europe, with the aim of allowing those seriously considering the installation of renewable technologies to see the developments that have been made in locations at the forefront of the use of this technology.

 

Leading on from the local study tours, Anaerobic Digestion (AD) was identified as a particular area of interest.  After a period of research and investigation two biogas tour companies were identified and after further enquiries and a recommendation from Defra, the International Biogas and Bioenergy Centre (IBBK), based in Germany, were chosen to host the first tour.  The tour itinerary was intended to be more than just a visit to the installations, it was also to be a learning experience allowing delegates the opportunity to talk with the operators, spend time on site and gain an understanding of the operation, logistics and economics of the installation. 

 

The use of Anaerobic Digestion in German agriculture has an almost 60-year old tradition.  First built in do-it-yourself methods post war, agricultural plants have been adapted to industrial standards and are now known for their expertise on this type of technology.  IBBK is an amalgamation and network of experts and companies, interest groups and educational institutes in the field of biogas and Bioenergy.  The work of IBBK covers regional, national and international activities.  The Competence Centre strives to cover the growing demand for independent, neutral dissemination of information in the field of biogas and Bioenergy.  

 

Invitations were sent out to over 250 farmers and industry partners, which resulted in a large volume of interest.  Due to date and length of the tour some individuals submitted their interest for future trips but could not make the tour on this occasion.  The maximum quota of 22 delegates for each trip was met and the tour took place in Stuttgart from the 23^rd to 27^th July.

The Cornwall Agri-food Council held a workshop concentrating on Anaerobic Digestion on the 22nd January at the Eden Project. The event drew a large amount of interest and unfortunately had to turn people away due to reaching capacity for the venue.

The event began with three presentations;

Michael Kottner is from (IBBK) the German International Biogas and Bioenergy Centre of Competence. Michael has twenty years experience in the field of biogas. Michael trained and worked as a dairy farmer for four years, working in Germany and South Africa.

Michael gave a presentation detailing the history and current situation of biogas in Germany, explaining the German compensation systems involved with renewables.

To view Michael's presentation in PDF format click here.

Michael Chesshire is a pioneering and respected scientist working on biogas since the 1970s and has played an important part in drawing attention to the wasted energy business potential in the food and agricultural sector. He constructed the UK’s first major biogas plant, based in Shropshire and using green waste from 20,000 homes. In November, the plant was contracted to sell renewable energy to retail giant Marks & Spencer (see entry 11) in a remarkable deal which is also a UK first for the retail sector. Biogas (mainly the greenhouse gas methane) in wet waste is captured via anaerobic digestion, then converted into heat and electricity.

Michael delivered a presentation on his experience with biogas in the UK and the implications involved with a variety of different size of plants.

To view Michael's presentation click here.

The final presentation was delivered by Colin Hygate. Colin became a director of Green Fuels in 2003. He is Managing Director of WasteGen (UK) Ltd. He has previously held a number of senior appointments including Managing Director of the Waste Company and Technos Ltd. His initial management and business experience was with GEC in heavy electrical engineering and with Paxman Diesels. He served on the Environmental Agency's Statutory Committee for the Midlands Region. He has also served as Midlands and Southern Region of the Environmental Services Association.

Colin gave a presentation on the UK market and opportunities for biodiesel.

To view Colin's presentation click here.

The afternoon session was led by Michael Chesshire who ran a very successful farmers surgery, the first of which has been run in this format. He projected his programme for the attendance to see and then took a number of different farm situations from members of the audience and ran through the different feedstock’s, gas yields, installation costs, management, maintenance costs in order to give individuals an idea of the elements involved with AD projects and the different variables affecting the economic viability of the technology.

Michael has very kindly provided us with PDF versions of the different scenarios he ran through. To view the CAC Economic Assessment click here. To view the CAC Feedstock Calculations click here.

I would like to give thanks to Michael, Michael and Colin for their presentations and input into the event. I would also like to thank all those who attended the event for taking the time to attend as well as there contribution to the discussions. I hope that we can take some of the issues highlighted at the event further over the coming months and i look forward to our future communications.