Press Release

TIVERTON SET TO LEAD THE WAY AS THE UK’S FIRST TRULY SUSTAINABLE TOWN

Plans to launch Tiverton Energy Centre – a ‘Centre of Excellence' for the production of renewable electricity and fuel for the Tiverton community

Plans to create a new centre for renewable energy could make Tiverton the country's greenest town.

Tiverton Energy Centre is one of the most exciting sustainable community developments of its kind in the UK. By using waste products and agricultural crops from Tiverton and the surrounding area, the centre will produce electricity and fuels as well as fertiliser for growing local crops and food.

The aim over the next 5 years is to make Tiverton's 20,000 population 100% non-dependant on fossil fuels.

“The project will transform Tiverton into a ‘zero waste to landfill' town resulting in reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” explained Winston Reed, a local farmer and founder of Greener for Life which is behind the plans. “It will help to reduce our impact on the environment and slow down climate change. It will even reduce waste disposal costs for every household and could help to reduce Council Tax charges!”

The plant will ultimately have the potential to provide Tiverton with enough electricity for up to 10,000 homes, and enough bio fuels to run the equivalent of nearly 14,000 cars a year – all from regionally grown crops which will add to the area's sustainability.

“Tiverton Energy Centre will provide sustainable fuel and food security, something which could become more important in the not too distant future. It will provide Tiverton with employment, tourism and education opportunities. An added benefit means that the extra revenue created will be kept within the Mid Devon Community creating local regeneration and wealth.”

Tiverton Energy Centre will be built in stages over the next 5 years, starting with an Anaerobic Digestion plant. Biofuels, wind generation and biomass will follow subject to environmental and planning concerns, followed by the newer technologies of hydrogen production and algae for biodiesel.

The Tiverton Energy Centre will be a show case for the UK and is expected to cost a total of £25 million over the next 6 years. It will be located at Gibbet Moor Farm, six miles out of town off the A361.

Plans are well under way for the development of the Energy Centre and it is hoped, subject to planning and other environmental protection controls, that it will begin to generate power and produce fuel in 2009. A further 2 Energy Centres are currently being proposed in the London M25 area and within the South West.

For more information contact:
Winston Reed, Greener for Life 01884 860800
Tony Gould, Greener for Life 01884 860800
Steve Lodge, Oxygen Creative 01884 255999

Further Information

Turning one farmer's vision into a reality

Most power and fuel production in the UK currently comes from centralised production, a system which is unlikely to be sustainable because of huge inefficiencies and losses. The future is for local, decentralised electricity and fuel, produced from local environmentally sustainable processes and cropping.

For this reason, one local farmer and a renewable energy company are proposing to build the Tiverton Energy Centre.

Greener for Life plans to build a Community Renewable Energy Centre integrating technology such as Anaerobic Digestion, Biodiesel, Biogas, Bioethanol and Biomass.

Winston Reed says: “The focus is on sustainable energy, fuel and food chains. We are building an Energy Centre that can provide fuel, energy and food that lives in harmony with nature with the least possible impact on the environment and avoids depleting natural reserves.”

Tiverton Energy Centre will provide local energy needs generated from local crops and waste streams. It will help to solve some of our waste disposal problems and will help to build the local economy. By replacing imported energy money will be retained in the local economy, creating a community based solution and benefiting Devon`s economy as a whole.

“Though a first for the UK, examples can be seen of similar developments in Europe where it has led to local regeneration, increased employment, manufacturing opportunities and even to tourism,” says fellow director of Greener for Life, Tony Gould.

“Tiverton Community Energy Centre offers a new and exciting supply for electricity and fuel ensuring a sustainable supply and way of life. This is a great way of creating and supporting the local community, helping the local economy and helping to protect the environment.”

How it will work

The Tiverton Energy Centre Biogas plant will take in agricultural waste and energy crops grown from local farms, along with organic waste products from homes and businesses in Tiverton and surrounding area. These feedstocks will be fed into sealed fermentation tanks and broken down by a natural biological process to produce biogas. This will be then used as a renewable energy source to produce electricity and heat. It also has potential as a road fuel.

The treated liquid by-product of this process has a high nutritional value and will be used as a fertiliser and soil conditioner on surrounding farms to grow the next season's crops. This will replace or reduce the need for artificial fertilisers which are made from fossil fuels and have a detrimental effect on the environment.

Anaerobic digestion offers the opportunity to capture methane from farm manures and organic waste that would otherwise have gone into landfill, incineration or composting sites. (Methane is a greenhouse gas 21 times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide).

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recognises anaerobic digestion (AD) as a way of solving three problems at the same time quoting: “AD helps us to meet the needs for more renewable energy; it helps us to mitigate methane emissions from agriculture; and it helps divert other kinds of organic waste, especially food waste, from landfill or incineration.”

The Tiverton Energy Centre will also produce road fuels from Oilseed Rape and Wheat grown locally using some of the fertiliser produced from the Biogas plant. The crop residues will then either be fed to animals or used in the anaerobic digester to produce more biogas.

“By producing fuel locally we are able to cut down on the amount of lorries hauling crops out of the county and then having to haul fuel back in again. This is obviously better for the environment and the local economy,” says Mr Reed.

The local food and energy supply can be taken one step further as James Hygate of Greenfuels, part of the Greener for Life consortium, explains: “Locally grown rapeseed can be crushed to produce vegetable oil for local home and business needs. Once finished with it can then be collected and returned to the Tiverton Energy Centre to be processed and turned into Biodiesel.”

The unique point of the Tiverton Energy Centre is that the energy required to produce the Biofuels will all come from renewable sources making our Biofuels extremely sustainable. Greener for Life have, in fact, already had interest from retailers and business wanting to purchase ‘Greener for Life' fuels, fertiliser and electricity.

The whole supply chain from ‘field to fork' and ‘field to fuel tank' will be monitored using a Greener for Life accreditation standard. This will guarantee measured sustainability in the whole production process, without the risks of global deforestation and worldwide transport issues associated with current production and importation of biofuels.

Greener for Life has already been offered premiums for the fuel and energy to be produced in this way and it means that local farmers will be adding value to their produce while benefiting the environment.

With power generation planned for 2009, the project allows time for local authorities, businesses and the public to assess their energy needs, the waste that they produce and how best to manage it in the future.

Devon County Council have set a target for over 150 Megawatts of Renewable Power generation in the county by 2010 but to date we only produce approximately 11% of this requirement. Wind Farm generated power will play a big part in meeting this target but the Tiverton Energy Centre is a sound, smart, environmentally sensitive and community building scheme that has the potential to be replicated around the county.

Greener for Life has also secured a major deal with the 60 million litre milk co-operative Torridge Vale Ltd. Following a Greener for Life Accreditation process demonstrating sustainable production and reduced environmental impact in balance with nature, the Co-op's products will carry the Greener for Life branding. Discussions are being held with processors and retailers to allow the consumer to benefit from the higher standards of production and the greater environmental benefits of these products.