hastings community biogas plant 1
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Wildpoldersheid in Germany produces 321 % more energy than it uses and exports 4 million Euros of green power to the grid. They have wind farms, solar, 2 biogas plants ….
There are 160 neighbourhood co-ops set up in the UK to keep village shops, nurseries and pubs open.
There are over 40 energy co-ops set up to generate renewable energy from wind, solar or hydro projects.
Ovesco raised £ 400,000 for community solar in Lewes
This is a great time for Community enterprise
2Biogas plants and district heating
Town scale biogas plants make good sense There are risks! A drop in gate fees, Feed in Tariffs, who takes the digestate? Will
we get planning? We don’t want to ask community shareholders to take these risks
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Hastings
Isfield
Beddingham
Mountfield
Lewes, Ham Lane
Gas to bio-methaneKey
Gas to grid
Gas to local CHP
East Sussex could support 3-4 biogas sites treating 70,000 – 100,000 tonnesof commercial bio-wastes (estimate) We are looking at all the options – Hastings is likely tobe the first (possibly the first in the UK)
Eastbourne
Rye
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How are we doing?
If we can raise £ 75 k for pre-planning costs (community engagement, surveys, planning
consultant) we hope to apply for planning asap
e are confident that we can source 8000-10000 Tpaof commercial and catering food waste
We are confident that we will find the funding
Funders want to pay a community dividend
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This is what a standard plant would look like if made fromconcrete (cheaper than steel). Note the figure in the bottomright hand corner for scale
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1.Hastings site: min size req’d 2400 m2
To treat 12,000 tonnes per annum (Tpa) would require24 – 30 vehicle movements per day
We don’t need to take garden and landscape waste if we can source enough food waste. The best use of the heat would be if we could supply heat and power to EMMAUS and SAINSBURY – we are working on this. Local restaurants, pubs, butchers, farm produce wholesalers we have talked to would love to supply us – they are paying up to £ 26 for a single wheelie bin collection! We could save them money and turn their waste into energy.
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Food waste will come in tankers or sealed vehicles and all the tipping and processing will happen inside the building. This will be sealed, have negative pressure and a bio-filtration plant will absorb odours. Neighbours will not be able to see, hear or smell the plant.
The plant will have a de-packaging unit as supermarkets will not de-package their waste. One supermarket produces around 2 Tonnes of food waste per week.
It is essential that we find local users of the digestate – farms, woodland managers, market gardens. This is slowing down the uptake of AD plants in the UK
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ESCC planners advised that we would not need an EIA for this site but that bat or lizard and slow-worm surveys might be required. We are proposing a solar roof for the Reception Hall. If there was a way to make the buildings architecturally “interesting” we would like to hear about it..
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This is in the middle of a Swiss town, 15 metresFrom housing
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Electricity is fed to the grid (or local users) heat can be used locally or to dry wood. The CHP runs 24/7 so maintaining it is expensive. Germany has 7000 of these plants, the UK 70!
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ELECTRICITY 2.98 Gigawatt hours (Gwh)
= 2,975 million Kwh (around 850 homes)
HEAT
Over 3 Gwh (we can use the heat locally or to dry wood for biomass heating or supply hot water to neighbouring sites)
Nearly 9,000 tonnes of very useful fertiliser
If we built one what would we get from 10,000 tonnesof food waste?
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We are working with a company that has designed a new type of food waste bin for homes and businesses. It does not smell! One of the big 5 waste companies is working with two universities to understand the biology. What this means is that food waste (including pet litter) need only be collected every two weeks. What’s more, the weight goes down by 8%. Waste contractors and LocalAuthorities would save money…We could we run a pilot in Hollington for homes and businesses
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Biogas plants are more complex and have more risks than wind turbines, solar roofs or hydro-power stations.
If we asked the community to invest we are only likely to raise a tiny % of the capital cost of the plant (bear in mind we are not that familiar with this technology in the UK).
For a farm-based anaerobic digester that does not treat food waste this would be a good idea – they need only cost £ 500 k compared to £ 5 mil.
In our model the Hastings Energy Co. would gift a community energy co-op - Energise Sussex Coast - a shareholding in the plant with a significant % of its profits (at no risk).
This can contribute to a Community Fund to support a range of other community projects…
If the Hastings biogas plant is operational by mid ton late 2013it is likely to be one of the first of its kind, demonstrating that “waste” can be turned into a renewable energy resource for the community. Every town could have one!
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ENERGISE SUSSEX COASTour renewable energy co-op
We are registering as an Industrial Provident Society for the benefit of the community – an IPS Ben Com
The BIG issue we aim to tackle in the region is fuel poverty in urban and rural communities
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A local biogas plant can contribute in several ways – apart from all itsobvious environmental benefits
•A green utility company interested in funding the plant and purchasing its “green”electricity can offer a “community tariff” to 250 vulnerable homes (saving each home up to £ 200 a year in electricity bills)
•In 2013 the local authority can retain the business rates for community benefit. This could contribute £ 50,000 p.a to the community
•The initial community shareholding in the plant will contribute an annual dividend. This will be invested directly into energy improvements for vulnerable households •The plant can provide training opportunities in green technologies.
We also want to create green collar jobs by setting up a catering waste collection
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We not only want to pioneer an appropriate and local scale solution to the problem of food waste but a business model that could benefit this and other communities in the long term.
Local biogas “companies” can register as Enterprise Investment Schemes – giving investors (including local investors) significant tax benefits. If we seek social investors willing to accept a lower return we can increase the annual contribution to a Community Fund. Some investors may be willing to transfer their equity in the energy company to the community when they recover their initial investment, increasing the community share of the biogas plant.
HastingsEnergy Co
Energise SussexCoast
East Sussex energyprojects
LewesEnergy Co
Ovesco IPS
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Positive Energy Sussex LLP is registered in England at Top Floor, 18b Marina, St. Leonards, East Sussex TN38 0DL Company no. OC361944
Contact details
Richard Watson
Tel 01424 719619
M 07854 951325
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Individuals, businesses, institutions and other community organisations are welcome to sign up as founder members.