Biogas benefits flagged by MSP

NEW technology that uses farm waste to generate electricity and gas could help secure Scotland’s energy future and accelerate the route to a net zero society, says one MSP.

Addressing the Scottish Conference of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) this week, South Scotland politician Emma Harper highlighted the area’s, “strong opportunity to lead Scotland’s next phase of anaerobic digestion deployment and to deliver environmental and economic benefits together.”

She discussed anaerobic digestion (AD), which uses farm waste to generate renewable energy, including electricity and biogas, reducing the environmental impact of agriculture and improving access to energy in rural areas.

While the technology itself is well-developed, upscaling facilities to handle large volumes of waste has only become possible over recent years, in part due to the innovation of companies locally, including Crofthead Biogas near Crocketford, capable of processing up to 100,000 of biowaste every year and producing 8MWh of electrical power equivalent of gas.

Galloway alone has over 20 AD plants, but with over 500 dairy farms across the region the potential for ever bigger growth is huge, and the MSP wants to help drive that expansion.

Ms Harper said: “I was delighted to ask to deliver a keynote speech to the ADBA conference and turn a spotlight on the world-leading innovation taking place right here in the South in the field of anaerobic digestion.

“With nearly half of Scotland’s dairy herd in the south west, we are uniquely placed to bring together the technological innovation of anaerobic digestion and the need to decarbonise not just farming but across the whole of our society.

“The current armed conflict in the Middle East is a reminder, if one were needed, that having control of our own energy destiny is fundamentally important to our country, and deploying technology like anaerobic digestion in our rural communities can be a big part of meeting that challenge.

“And with skilled jobs created with every AD plant that comes online, the economic potential for our rural communities to get real and sustained benefits from this technology is huge – which is why I’m working with the Scottish Government to make sure every avenue of support is open to innovation and the green energy revolution here in the South.”