Scotland Makes Fuel from Whisky
January 27, 2009 · Print This Article
Leave it to Scotland to figure out a way to get renewable energy from the whiskymaking process. The land of whisky connoisseurs will soon have a plant run on energy created from byproducts of the distilling process. The company turning this grand idea into reality is ‘Combination of Rothes Distillers Limited (CoRD), joining up with Helius Energy to build a combined heat and power (CHP) plant along with a fertilizer factory.
From MatterNetwork:
Called GreenSwitch, the modular CHP unit will employ biomass made from biproducts of the distilling process and sustainably-harvested wood chips. Right next door, the GreenFields plant will turn a liquid biproduct [sic] called pot ale, into a concentrated organic fertilizer.
This £34 million project will take 18-24 months to ferment, at which point the GreenSwitch plant will produce 7.2 megawatts of electricty [sic], enough to power 9,000 homes. Although still in the planning stages, the venture already won the Best Environmental Initiative Award from the Scottish Green Energy Awards last December.
Scotland has dozens of whisky distillers, so if this idea caught on, it could be a great way to power not just the distilleries themselves but possibly even homes and businesses in the area.
Mmm, Glenlivet 18-year. I’d love it even more if the plant were run with green energy!
Link [MattersNetwork]
Photo credit: Flickr user tienvijftien
- Assistant Maintenance Manager
- Help Captain Ozone Promote Pollution-Free, Renewable Energy!, by Captain Ozone
- Green Power Plants
Related Posts:
Australia Gets Tanked with Tequila BiofuelScotland Building a 300ft Bridge for Squirrels to Cross Traffic
Trump Wants to Build Golf Course in Scotland ‘for the Environment’
Donald Trump Set to Destroy Pristine Scottish Habitat
11 Bizarre Sources of Clean Energy, from Dead Turkeys to Urine
Makers Mark Distillery in Kentucky has been employing a similar rechnique for a few years. http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=1936
[...] Via Earth First (http://earthfirst.com/scotland-makes-fuel-from-whisky/): [...]
I’ve been enjoying the warming effects from drinking whiskey for many years but the price of a decent scotch is forever rising. If this method gathers pace surely there’ll be a glut and the price will plummet – shlurptastic!