1. This is a great time for Community enterprise
Wildpoldersheid in Germany produces 321
% more energy than it uses and exports 4
million Euros of green power to the grid.
They have wind farms, solar, 2 biogas
plants ….
There are 160
neighbourhood co-ops set up
in the UK to keep village
shops, nurseries and pubs
open.
There are over 40 energy co-
ops set up to generate
renewable energy from wind,
solar or hydro projects.
Ovesco raised £ 400,000 for
community solar in Lewes
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2. Town scale biogas plants make good sense
There are risks! A drop in gate fees, Feed in Tariffs, who takes the digestate? Will
we get planning? We don’t want to ask community shareholders to take these
risks
Biogas plants and district heating
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3. East Sussex could support 3-4 biogas Key Gas to bio-methane
sites treating 70,000 – 100,000 tonnes Gas to grid
of commercial bio-wastes (estimate) We are Gas to local CHP
looking at all the options – Hastings is likely to
be the first (possibly the first in the UK)
Isfield Mountfield
Lewes, Ham Lane
Rye
Hastings
Eastbourne
Beddingham
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4. How are we doing?
If we can raise £ 75 k for pre-planning costs
(community engagement, surveys, planning
consultant) we hope to apply for planning asap
e are confident that we can source 8000-10000 Tpa
of commercial and catering food waste
We are confident that we will find the funding
Funders want to pay a community dividend
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5. This is what a standard plant would look like if made from
concrete (cheaper than steel). Note the figure in the bottom
right hand corner for scale
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6. 1.Hastings site: min size req’d 2400 m2
To treat 12,000 tonnes per annum (Tpa) would require
24 – 30 vehicle movements per day
We don’t need to take garden and landscape waste if we can source enough food waste. The best
use of the heat would be if we could supply heat and power to EMMAUS and SAINSBURY – we are
working on this. Local restaurants, pubs, butchers, farm produce wholesalers we have talked to
would love to supply us – they are paying up to £ 26 for a single wheelie bin collection! We could
save them money and turn their waste into energy. 6

7. 7

8. Food waste will come in tankers
or sealed vehicles and all the
tipping and processing will
happen inside the building. This
will be sealed, have negative
pressure and a bio-filtration
plant will absorb odours.
Neighbours will not be able to
see, hear or smell the
plant.
The plant will have a de-
packaging unit as supermarkets
will not de-package their waste.
One supermarket produces
around 2 Tonnes of food waste
per week.
It is essential that we find local
users of the digestate – farms,
woodland managers, market
gardens. This is slowing down
the uptake of AD plants in the
UK 8

9. 6
ESCC planners advised that we would not need an EIA for this site but that bat or lizard and slow-
worm surveys might be required. We are proposing a solar roof for the Reception Hall. If there was a
way to make the buildings architecturally “interesting” we would like to hear about it.. 9

10. This is in the middle of a Swiss town, 15 metres
From housing
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11. Electricity is fed to the grid (or local users) heat can be used locally or to dry wood. The
CHP runs 24/7 so maintaining it is expensive. Germany has 7000 of these plants, the UK 70!
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12. If we built one what would we get from 10,000 tonnes
of food waste?
ELECTRICITY 2.98 Gigawatt hours (Gwh)
= 2,975 million Kwh (around 850 homes)
HEAT
Over 3 Gwh (we can use the heat locally or to dry wood for biomass
heating or supply hot water to neighbouring sites)
Nearly 9,000 tonnes of very useful fertiliser
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13. We are working with a company that has designed a new type of food
waste bin for homes and businesses. It does not smell!
One of the big 5 waste companies is working with two universities to
understand the biology. What this means is that food waste (including
pet litter) need only be collected every two weeks.
What’s more, the weight goes down by 8%. Waste contractors and Local
Authorities would save money…
We could we run a pilot in Hollington for homes and businesses
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14. If the Hastings biogas plant is operational by mid ton late 2013
it is likely to be one of the first of its kind, demonstrating
that “waste” can be turned into a renewable energy resource
for the community. Every town could have one!
Biogas plants are more complex and have
more risks than wind turbines, solar roofs or
hydro-power stations.
If we asked the community to invest we are
only likely to raise a tiny % of the capital cost
of the plant (bear in mind we are not that
familiar with this technology in the UK).
For a farm-based anaerobic digester that does
not treat food waste this would be a good idea
– they need only cost £ 500 k compared to £ 5
mil.
In our model the Hastings Energy Co. would
gift a community energy co-op - Energise
Sussex Coast - a shareholding in the plant with
a significant % of its profits (at no risk).
This can contribute to a Community Fund to
support a range of other community projects…
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15. ENERGISE SUSSEX COAST
our renewable energy co-op
We are registering
as an Industrial
Provident Society for
the benefit of the
community – an
IPS Ben Com
The BIG issue we aim to
tackle in the region is fuel
poverty in urban and rural
communities 15

16. A local biogas plant can contribute in several ways – apart from all its
obvious environmental benefits
•A green utility company interested in funding the plant and purchasing its “green”
electricity can offer a “community tariff” to 250 vulnerable homes (saving each home
up to £ 200 a year in electricity bills)
•In 2013 the local authority can retain the business rates for community benefit. This
could contribute £ 50,000 p.a to the community
•The initial community shareholding in the plant will contribute an annual dividend.
This will be invested directly into energy improvements for vulnerable households
•The plant can provide training opportunities in green technologies.
We also want to create green collar jobs by setting up a catering waste collection
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17. We not only want to pioneer an appropriate and local scale solution to the problem
of food waste but a business model that could benefit this and other communities
in the long term.
Energise East Sussex
Hastings Sussex energy
Energy Co Coast projects
Lewes Ovesco
Energy Co IPS
Local biogas “companies” can register as Enterprise Investment Schemes – giving investors (including
local investors) significant tax benefits. If we seek social investors willing to accept a lower return we
can increase the annual contribution to a Community Fund. Some investors may be willing to transfer
their equity in the energy company to the community when they recover their initial investment,
increasing the community share of the biogas plant.
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18. JOIN ENERGISE SUSSEX COAST !
Individuals, businesses, institutions and other
community organisations are welcome to sign up as
founder members.
Contact details
Richard Watson
Richard@positiveenergysussex.co.uk
Tel 01424 719619
M 07854 951325
Positive Energy Sussex LLP is registered in England at Top
Floor, 18b Marina, St. Leonards, East Sussex TN38 0DL
Company no. OC361944
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