Minsmere nature reserve – the UKs newest power station

Conservationists are working with the Government to investigate how to create energy from nature reserves, including the RSPB’s flagship reserve in Suffolk, at Minsmere.

Wetlands are home to a broad range of species from bitterns and swans to water voles and dragonflies, and managing them for wildlife results in large amounts of waste organic material. But a new project is looking at how the latest technology can be used to turn reeds and rushes cut from these areas into heat and electricity.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change is funding a competition, which is being trialed on nature reserves across the UK reserves and it is starting to show signs of success. Staff are watching material that has previously been cut to waste be used to produce energy. Natural England, Somerset Wildlife Trust and The Broads Authority are also partners in the project.

The project will be demonstrated at RSPB Minsmere on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 February, following on from an initial demonstration this week at RSPB Ham Wall National Nature Reserve in Somerset. There will be a third demonstration at RSPB Insh Marshes in Inverness-shire.

The demonstrations will see reeds cut using a mechanical cutter – one of only two in the UK – and then turned into briquettes which can be burned in a boiler or log burner. The reeds will also be added to an anaerobic digestion machine producing methane which can be converted into both heat and electricity.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: “Bioenergy is an important part of the UK energy mix which has the potential to reduce UK energy system costs by £42bn by 2050.
“We are committed to helping small businesses to develop and grow and this is exactly the kind of innovative project I want to see.”

Sally Mills, project manager, said: “Nature reserves like Minsmere are carefully managed to create the ideal habitat for wildlife, and part of this involves cutting back reeds and rushes. Wetland birds and insects need to have a patchwork of habitats from reeds, to shallow pools and short grass in order to nest and feed.

“Across the UK conservation organizations produce thousands of tonnes of waste plant matter. In the past disposing of this waste has been a real issue – often we are forced to simply burn it on bonfires.

“But the Department for Energy and Climate Change want to find new ways to produce energy without releasing unnecessary carbon into the atmosphere and asked us to investigate how we can turn the waste vegetation off our reserves into heat and electricity.

“Using some pretty impressive technology, including mechanical cutters, briquette makers, boilers, biochar kilns and anaerobic digesters, the project is producing some amazing results. We have shown that we can take cleared wetland vegetation and use it to heat nearby buildings and produce electricity which can be fed into the National Grid.”

In the past the difficulty of disposing of organic waste from wetland habitats has made conservation efforts difficult, and sometimes impossible. As well as the need to find new ways to produce renewable energy this led DECC to launch the ‘Wetland Biomass to Bioenergy’ competition.

As part of the competition entrants were challenged to design and deliver the complete process from wetland harvest through to the creation of bioenergy. The whole project is worth £2million and will continue until March 2015.

The partners behind the project believe it could benefit a range of landowners, farmers and conservationists who manage land for wildlife.

Ben Le Bas, Senior Advisor at Natural England for National Nature Reserves said: “We are delighted to help host such an innovative and ground breaking project which demonstrates the benefits of partnership working for the economy and the environment.”

Notes

1.     The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) works to make sure the UK has secure, clean, affordable energy supplies and promote international action to mitigate climate change. DECC is a ministerial department, supported by 8 agencies and public bodies.
2.     The RSPB is the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so our towns, coast and countryside will teem with life once again. We play a leading role in BirdLife International, a worldwide partnership of nature conservation organisations.
3.     Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public. For further information (media only) contact: Ellen Softley, 0300 060 0213 [email protected]. Out of hours: 07970 098005. Web: www.naturalengland.org.uk. Twitter: @NaturalEngland.
4.     Somerset Wildlife Trust looks after 70 nature reserves spanning more than 1,700 hectares across Somerset. Most of our nature reserves are open year-round and offer free access to stunning wetlands, woodlands and wildlife flower meadows.
5.     The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads is Britain’s largest protected wetland and third largest inland waterway, with the status of a national park. It’s also home to some of the rarest plants and animals in the UK. The Broads Authority was set up in 1989, with responsibility for conservation, planning, recreation and waterways.

 

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