Green Light For £3m Greenshed - New Funding For Renewable Methane Capture System

10th July 2022

A state-of-the-art shed which will use cattle waste products to power a methane capturing system and grow indoor crops has received nearly £3 million from the UK Government through its Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP).

Led by Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), the GreenShed system will also produce low-carbon fertiliser and has the potential to remove the equivalent of 237 tonnes of carbon dioxide per farm per year.

After receiving £200,000 last year to refine the system's design, GreenShed has now received a further £2.9m from the Direct Air Capture and Greenhouse Gas Removal programme, part of the UK Government's Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.

It is hoped that the building of the shed, which is supported by partners at the University of Strathclyde, Agri-EPI Centre, Edinburgh-based No Pollution Industrial Systems Ltd, Galebreaker Agri, Organic Power Ireland, N2 Applied and Saturn Bioponics, will begin in Midlothian later this year.

The shed's anaerobic digestion plant will use waste cattle bedding to produce energy to run a methane capture system. Excess energy will then be used to power a vertical farm and low-carbon fertiliser system.

In practice, farmers could benefit from an additional income stream of up to £40,000 a year, while it is estimated that a 100-cattle shed using the GreenShed system could also save them £1,000 a year in fertiliser and heat energy costs.

Professor Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said: "GreenShed provides an innovative working example of how researchers, businesses and other partners can collaborate effectively to shape a more resilient, nature-positive producer supply chain that’s aligned with the aims of the national Food Strategy. We are hugely grateful to ministers for their support."

SRUC’s Dr Carol-Anne Duthie, who leads the project, said: "We’re thrilled to have received this funding to make the exciting GreenShed project a reality. The value of the project is clear: farmers will improve their profitability, expand their saleable food products, and reduce the environmental impact of beef production."

The GreenShed funding is part of a £54m government investment for projects across the country to develop technologies which remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Hands said: "This £54 million government investment announced today will help establish a greenhouse gas removal industry in the UK, which could be worth billions to our economy, bringing in private investment and supporting the creation of new green jobs."

About BEIS
Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
This funding has been made available from the government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which aims to provide funding for developing technologies that enable the removal of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere in the UK. This programme will support the design and feasibility of these technologies through to the demonstration of fully functioning pre-commercial units.

About SRUC
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) was established in 2012 through the merger of the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) with Barony, Elmwood and Oatridge Colleges. Through these institutions, we can trace our lineage back over 100 years.

Today, SRUC is on a journey to become Scotland’s enterprise university at the heart of our sustainable natural economy.

Our mission is to create and mobilise knowledge and talent - partnering locally and globally to benefit Scotland’s natural economy.

To achieve this, we draw upon SRUC’s longstanding strengths in world-class and sector-leading research, learning and teaching, skills and training and consultancy (through SAC Consulting).

A natural economy is fuelled by responsible use of our natural resources: people, land, energy, water, animals and plants. It is an interlinked, shared, living system that creates opportunities and prosperity. It is multi-scale, dynamic and resilient through creative management and mindful custodianship.

By focussing on the sustainable natural economy, SRUC will strive to lead the way in delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all, in Scotland, and beyond.

PHOTO
John Farquhar of SAC Consulting and Dr Carol-Anne Duthie from SRUC at SRUC's Easter Howgate Farm in Midlothian