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19th September, 2007
Construction of the 'Grass as an energy crop' digester progressing well.
Today the company finished construction of the insulated fibreglass tank to be used for the grass as an energy crop project in Westray. The digester will be capable of handling 3,200 tonnes per annum of organic materials. Heat and Power Limited have reached an agreement with THC Pottinger & Co to locate the digester on the farm of Tuquoy, Westray. Mr Pottinger a beef cattle farmer on the island of Westray is providing the land and cattle slurry required for the digester and in return will be provided with an improved fertiliser product and energy to help move the farm towards 100% renewable energy.
C Ris Energy are installing the digester along with the designer Mr James Murcott of Methanogen UK. Now the tank is completed work continues on the gas mixing and heating systems with hopes for the first unit of electricity to be generated before the end of the year. Scottish & Southern Energy plc have been approached in order to secure an export capacity of 40kWe and a formal response is awaited. The Heat and Power Limited digester joins the already successful prototype anaerobic digestion facility built by C Ris Energy on the site which is being used to provide biogas as a road fuel with a gas clean up and compression rig also designed and built by Mr Murcott.
Heat and Power Limited are preparing for an open day towards the end of the year where they will also launch the new growers group where farmers will be able to come along and fin out about the exciting new opportunity biogas has to offer. Heat and Power Limited are also interested to hear from any farmers willing to either lease land, grow grass under contract or sell silage to the company.
14th August, 2007
Heat and Power Limited gain approval from Inland Revenue for Enterprise Investment Scheme
The first investors in Heat and Power Limited were celebrating today as the company gained authorisation to issue shares under the Enterprise Investment Scheme. Investors will now be able to claim a tax allowance on their investment increasing the value for money provided by Heat and Power Limited ordinary shares. Further information on the scheme can be found on the inland revenue website www.hmrc.gov.uk.
29th May, 2007
Heat and Power Limited secure funding from Scottish Biomass Scheme
Heat and Power Ltd have successfully won two grant awards from the Scottish Biomass Scheme, the first was a £6,000 grant towards the establishment of a growers group to supply grass as an energy crop. The second grant award of £94,320 will help the company construct its second digester using grass and cow slurry to produce biogas.
The company has just returned from attending the All Energy Conference in Aberdeen and visiting the Gask Farm digester in Turiff. Orders have been placed for the equipment necessary to begin construction of a second digester.
16th March, 2007 - STV North Tonight & North Today news.
Company aims to turn cow dung into fuel
Cows in shed
A company based in Orkney is hoping to become the first in Scotland to turn cow dung into fuel for cars. The firm is developing technology that can convert manure into a cheaper alternative to petrol or diesel.
If there is one thing a farming community has in abundance it is cow dung. There is certainly no shortage of the brown stuff on the island farm where the new technology is being developed.
The muck the animals produce drops into a tank called a digester built under the byre. It is kept at body temperature and the gas it gives off is collected and stored as a source of green power.
Manure generator
At this experimental stage, the gas is being used as fuel for a boiler and as power for a generator hooked up to an old engine. Built to run on diesel, it has been adapted to operate on the slurry gas instead.
February 2007 press release
Where there’s muck there’s gas!
Two enterprising Westray men have opted voluntarily to sail up a certain well known creek without a paddle and they plan to come out it smelling of ……..roses, actually!
We’re all becoming familiar with the concept of harnessing the energy potential of wind, wave or tidal power but Colin Risbridger and Sam Harcus have started to release the energy potential of cow slurry and even plain old grass silage. They’re doing this by extracting biogas in an anaerobic digestion plant that they built with assistance from Orkney Enterprise and Orkney Islands Council on the Westray farm of Tuquoy.
Colin Risbridger & Sam Harcus feeding grass silage to the cows
The result is cleaner, cheaper energy with a fertiliser that is virtually odourless – perfect to scatter round the roses and good news for those hanging out washing!
Tammo Pottinger, owner of Tuquoy, said “We’re delighted with the biogas. We now look forward to operating the farm on renewable energy well into the future”. Colin added “Agriculture can produce not just food but also energy. With slurry we’re turning a potential problem into an asset which is always exciting but the potential extra benefits from the concept of using grass as an energy crop are just massive. There’s a lot of grass in Orkney… and a lot of cows’ backsides too!”
Colin may be green by nature but there’s nothing green about his renewable energy experience or his engineering background. Now, after developing the new design of digester through his own business (C Ris Energy), he is licensing the technology to a new joint venture with Sam Harcus, who has an impressive track-record in local economic development and renewable issues. The new company, called Heat and Power Ltd will be formally launched with a share issue in coming weeks with further information available on their website www.heatandpower.ltd.uk.
Sam Harcus added: “The timing is right for this and we plan to build a further farm-based digester this year, this time exporting electricity to the national grid.”
Colin Risbridger & Jim Wallace drink coffee boiled with electricity from biogas
Jim Wallace MSP was clearly impressed on a recent visit to the Tuquoy site. He commented: “I applaud the progress made by Colin Risbridger in turning such a forward-looking idea into a reality. It is clear that this is a technology with significant potential. Not only can it contribute to meeting renewable energy targets, but it can also be beneficial to agriculture. I wish Colin and his team every success as they move this development forward.”
Colin is also leading a research project with the Environmental Research Institute in Thurso, Caithness on the fertiliser benefit of digestate in comparison to conventional cow slurry. The project is due to complete in September 2007 and Dr Simon Thain of the Institute commented; “I am delighted to be able to participate in such exciting renewable energy projects thanks to the support of European and local funding agencies. We hope our research with Colin can show how digestion can provide a useful organic fertiliser whilst also producing energy. This is a great example of how scientists and industry can work closely together to address our need for renewable energy options”.