Farmgen’s experts believe the UK’s farming sector could sustain up to 1,000 AD plants – using marginal land to diversify into ‘energy farming’. These plants would produce organic silage and help to protect and sustain existing land used for food production.

AD plants provide jobs, bring inward investment into the rural economy and support the need for renewable energy sources. The process uses locally produced crops and crop residues.

The technology – in terms of appearance and operation – is among the most ‘farm friendly’ available. The units used are designed to mitigate their impact on the surrounding environment.

Compared to other alternative renewable energy generators, such as wind turbines, it has significantly less visual impact. The bio-product of the plant is returned to the surrounding land as fertiliser to support the growth of the following year’s crops – reducing the need for carbon-intensive industrial fertilisers, which are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. It also has far less odour.

Livestock farmers faced with investment challenges under the Nitrates Vulnerable Zones legislation can benefit from an AD plant – boosting storage capacity and improving incomes from renewable energy sales.

Simon comes from a dairy farming family, based close to Lytham on the Fylde Coast of Lancashire. After graduating from Hull University in 1983 with a BSc (Econ), he joined the then Yorkshire Electricity Board, with whom he qualified as a Certified Accountant in 1987. In 1996 he formed Spice plc with 12 employees and one customer, by 2008 Spice turned over 400,000,000, made 40,000,000 and employed 4,500 staff worldwide and entered the FTSE 250. In 2010 Spice was purchased by Cinven and taken private. Simon then formed Greengen Group.

Dryholme Farm

The plant consists of three 3,000 tonne Glass-Fused-To-Steel AD Tanks complete with industry-leading BIODOME® Double Membrane Roofs. The biogas that is produced as part of the AD process is captured in the BIODOME® Roofs before it is cleaned and sent to the CHP Unit, where electricity is produced for exporting to the National Grid. The plant uses grass and maize silage grown on farm and in the surrounding area to produce 2.0MW of electricity, enough continuous power for more than 4000 homes, producing a significant boost to Cumbria's rural economy and contributing to the business as a whole.

Carr Farm

The plant is part of Farmgen's £30 million investment to create the biggest 'energy farming' expansion programme in Britain.

KIRK designed, supplied and installed two Concrete Digester Tanks (2,280m³ and 2,700m³) complete with industry-leading BIODOME® Double Membrane Roofs and a smaller Glass-Fused-To-Steel Buffer Tank. The animal foods and the slurry from the farm go into the digester tanks to be treated. The biogas produced as part of the AD process is captured in the BIODOME® Roofs where it is treated and electricity is produced to generate 800KW, enough to power the plant itself and up to 1,000 homes in the local area.

Simon comes from a dairy farming family, based close to Lytham on the Fylde Coast of Lancashire. After graduating from Hull University in 1983 with a BSc (Econ), he joined the then Yorkshire Electricity Board, with whom he qualified as a Certified Accountant in 1987. In 1996 he formed Spice plc with 12 employees and one customer, by 2008 Spice turned over 400,000,000, made 40,000,000 and employed 4,500 staff worldwide and entered the FTSE 250. In 2010 Spice was purchased by Cinven and taken private. Simon then formed Greengen Group.