There’s much to think about for the future. When I think about energy production, I see it as community-based. Imagine households taking a weekly walk to drop off food waste.
In an anaerobic digester, bacteria breaks down the food waste and releases methane as a byproduct. The methane is then captured and used as a renewable source of energy. After the digestion process, the leftover material can be composted and used as a natural fertiliser.
Benefits
- Locally-created energy equals less transmission loss, since it’s not travelling far
- Energy can be sold back to the grid, allowing communities to generate funding beyond the council tax and central government funding
- Social cohesion as there’s a common goal, where interests and incentives are aligned
- A job creator, attracting new talent and up-skilling local talent
Things to think about
- Initial investment
- It still generates Co2 and N2o and methane as an output
- How much power could a square mile of waste generate?