Brewery To Help Heat Homes

People can heat their homes homes using renewable gas from brewery waste in Suffolk which will be piped into the grid from today.

The scheme at Adnams brewery in Southwold will use malted barley from the brewing process to produce the ``biogas'' through a process known as anaerobic digestion.

The plant will also use local food waste, including leftovers from seven nearby shops to generate the green energy, to try and cut carbon emissions.

The gas produced by the brewery project will be enough to heat around 235 family homes.

The scheme will cut carbon emissions by reducing the need for using fossil fuels to heat homes and, by diverting waste from landfill, will cut the production of methane, another potent greenhouse gas.

Adnams Bio Energy, which is running the project with British Gas, said that in the future it would produce enough renewable gas to power the brewery and run its fleet of lorries, while still leaving 60% for injection into the national grid.

The waste left after anaerobic digestion had been used to generate biogas would be spread as fertiliser on farmland to grow barley for Adnams beer. The company estimated that the waste from brewing 600 pints of beer was enough to generate the gas needed each day by the average home.

It is the first time food waste has been used to generate green gas for the grid, and comes just days after Thames Water and British Gas began to inject biogas produced from sewage into the grid.

Climate change minister Greg Barker said: "This has been an excellent week for progress in renewable energy. As well as the waste from making beer, Adnams Bio Energy is taking in food waste  from local businesses large and small. Adnams Bio Energy is setting a fantastic example in bringing the community together to tackle climate change.''

Adnams chief executive Andy Wood said: "For a number of years now, Adnams has been investing in ways to reduce our impact on the environment. The reality of being able to convert our own brewing waste and local food waste to power Adnams' brewery and vehicles, as well as the wider community, is very exciting.''