Green gas could enable Scotland to meet energy goals outlined in the country’s first Energy Strategy, according to the UK’s trade body for anaerobic digestion (AD).
The Scottish government’s strategy details its vision for Scotland’s future energy system until 2050. Its new target is to supply at least 50 per cent of all heat, transport and electricity consumption through renewable energy by 2030.
The strategy highlights biogas and biomethane produced through AD will have a significant role in decarbonising Scotland’s energy system. It said existing biomethane sites in Scotland already produce enough gas to supply the equivalent of 85,000 homes.
Charlotte Morton, chief executive of Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), said: “The Scottish government has set itself ambitious but necessary targets for generating renewable energy in its new Energy Strategy, and renewable heat and electricity produced through AD can make an important contribution to these goals, as well as reducing emissions from landfill, creating rural jobs, and helping to restore degraded soils.”
Morton added: “There are now over 50 operational AD plants spread across Scotland, recycling a range of wastes including animal slurries and manures, food waste, grass silage, sugar beet, and various grains and wheats from Scotland’s famous distilleries.
“With more than half of these plants commissioned within the last four years, farmers, businesses and government are increasingly seeing first-hand the multiple benefits that green gas delivers.”
ADBA said AD is currently delivering 45 MWe of power and 11,000 m3/hr of heat in Scotland, with AD plants across the UK now having enough capacity to power over a million homes.