Last month, one of our new Anaerobic Digestion plants produced electricity for the first time. Based in Argoed, mid-Wales, the process of commissioning and building the plant began in June 2015. Investment Manager Jevon Carding looks back at the development of project.
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Powered by Cincopa Video Hosting for Business solution.Building an Anaerobic Digestion plant The Argoed team. On the left is Roger Hughes, the farmer on whose land the plant is built. Roger has been closely involved in the build phase, and now has a crucial role in the operation of the plant. He will also grow the majority of the feedstock. Next to Roger is Richard Adams, an energy market consultant who advises on the sale of electricity and securing renewable energy subsidies. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1413 height 877 In the centre is Andy Bateman, the construction manager for the project, overseeing an onsite team of around 30 people. To the right of Andy is Ben Sang, who is responsible for making sure the site’s heat metering meets all the applicable regulatory standards. Jevon Carding, the Oxford Capital investment manager responsible for this project, is pictured on the right. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1413 height 877 Back in June 2015, we started the project by removing the top layer of turf from a section of pasture. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1456 height 874 The process of preparing the land takes several months. The photo above shows the progress that had been made by October 2015. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1466 height 879 The feedstock – the crops that the facility will digest – is harvested once or twice a year, then stored in a silage clamp until needed. The Argoed plant has three silage clamps, shown here in the construction phase, that can hold up to 8,000 tonnes of feedstock. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1461 height 876 By December 2015, the site was really starting to take shape. The round structure is the wall of the digester tank. To the left of this image, behind the red tractor, you can also see that the silage clamps are already full of feedstock. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1483 height 886 At the start of 2016, the digestion tank (with the green domed roof) was completed. The tank has a capacity of 2,400 cubic metres, and it will be kept continuously full of feedstock which remains in the tank for an average of 40 days. The process produces a watery digestate by-product, which is stored in the smaller tank to the right of the digester, and will be used on the farm as fertiliser. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1500 height 876 Because the digester tank needs to be kept full, it will be ‘fed’ every day. A month before we started generating electricity, we installed the feeding system, which chops and mixes the feedstock before pumping into the digester tank. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1164 height 872 Towards the end of the project, the pipework that will carry feedstock, biogas and digestate is installed. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1377 height 871 During March, the generating equipment is installed. The engine burns the gas produced by the digester to create electricity. It also captures the heat produced during the power generation process. The heat will be used on the farm, to dry fertiliser for recycling into the farming cycle. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 929 height 688 Of course, for the investment to make money will need to be able to export and sell the electricity produced. Here, the local power company is installing the equipment needed to link our plant to the national electricity network. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1501 height 874 The finished site. Some landscaping will be carried out to tidy up the area around the plant. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1502 height 836 The meter clocks up the very first units of power produced. After nine months, this is an exciting moment for the whole project team. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 1179 height 884
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