A town has become the first in Britain to get all its gas supply from renewable energy – made from animal manure.
Locals in South Molton in Devon get all their gas and nearly half their electricity from ”anaerobic digestion”.
The process sees energy crops, agricultural waste and animal manure transformed to generate renewable gas and electricity.
Its homes are being powered by renewable gas and electricity thanks to an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility located on the outskirts of the town.
South Molton’s facility Condate Biogas uses crops and chicken poo to create enough renewable energy to provide gas to the entire town – population around 5,000.
The facility currently provides enough renewable gas to meet the needs of every single home – and also supplies 40% of the town’s electricity.
The biogas gas is turned into renewable energy which is injected directly into the gas and electricity grid by the plant.
Everything Condate Biogas needs to generate renewable energy is supplied by local farmers.
Ixora Energy which run the plant say they are leading the way in helping the UK produce renewable energy in the midst of an energy crisis.
Net zero
It says it is also helping the Government meet its Net Zero targets.
Darren Stockley, managing director for Condate Biogas, said: “Thanks to operating efficiencies, we are now capable of generating enough renewable electricity to supply 70% of South Molton with renewable electricity and we could increase our gas output to cover over 3000 homes.
”This means we could supply a wider range of villages and neighbourhoods around South Molton.
“We hope to be in a position to be able to deliver the additional energy soon because we believe that locally produced renewable energy provides the key to solving the current UK energy crises,.”
MP for North Devon, Selaine Saxby, said: “It is incredible to think that South Molton’s homes are being powered by renewable gas and electricity thanks to Condate Biogas’s anaerobic digestion facility.
”There are very few towns in the UK that can claim to be powered by renewable energy and it is something we can all be proud of.
“It also makes fertiliser as a side product, which goes back on the local land growing the maize which in turn provides the matter to help produce the gas.
”A truly circular form of local, sustainable, energy production.”
The company, which employs six local people, has plans to increase its energy output in the near future in order to help deliver even more renewable energy for nearby communities.
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