News in brief: Ener-G finds brass in muck; airport passenger numbers rise; and more
ENER-G, the Salford-based manufacturer of green energy equipment, is helping a Hereford chicken farm to become more eco friendly and generate a new income stream as a renewable energy generator.
Great Ynys Farm, in Hereford, which has 125 acres of arable land and a 90,000 broiler chicken operation, will use anaerobic digestion (AD) to convert chicken litter into biogas for renewable electricity and heat generation.
The green electricity generated by ENER-G will power the poultry houses and AD system, with a 90% surplus sold to the National Grid, while the captured waste heat will provide warmth for the chicken houses – displacing costly fuel oil and propane gas. Generation is scheduled to begin on August 1, 2011.
The anaerobic digestion system will have capacity to process 700 tonnes of poultry litter and 1,000 tonnes of cattle slurry, mixed with 3000 tonnes of maize silage per year.
Use of maize reduces nitrogen levels in the digestion process and prevents the build up of high concentrations of ammonia that would arrest biogas production.
The ENER-G combined heat and power system will provide 250kW of electricity, sufficient to power 450 homes, and 200kW of heat.
Plans are also in place to convert the heating system in the farm’s broiler houses within the next few months, to utilise heat from the biogas generation process. This is expected to achieve payback on investment within a year.
Farmer Susan Shakesheff said: “We are proud to be at the forefront of the move to anaerobic digestion, and to improve our sustainability and energy self sufficiency, while securing a new income stream.
“We are able to find a superior alternative for utilising our chicken litter and are helping neighbouring dairy farmers to recycle their cattle slurry.
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LIVERPOOL and Manchester’s airports saw passenger numbers increase in June.
Liverpool John Lennon enjoyed a 5% increase on June 2010, rising to 492,780 people.
Management at the airport put the rise down to strong growth on some routes.
The number of people using Manchester Airport rose by 4.1% to 1.9 million during the same period.
There was a 13% rise in the number of passengers using scheduled international services which offset declines on charter and domestic routes.
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NORTH West commercial insurance broker Bridge Insurance has launched a London office.
The Manchester firm, established in 1970, has opened in the City at 70 St Mary Axe, close to the landmark ‘Gherkin’ building.
Chairman Roger Potts said: “We have built the business on a strong work ethic and outstanding client services. With high client retention levels, we have thrived in a challenging market.
“The launch of our London office at St Mary Axe is testament to our industry credentials. We also pride ourselves on in-depth sector expertise combined with a personable approach. While technical ability is of paramount importance, business is still very much about people, after all.”
Bridge operates across a range of sectors, including real estate, construction, retail, motor fleet, manufacturing and technology. Its clients include Bruntwood, Hurstwood, Individual Restaurant Company, Opal Group, Regatta and Flannels.
