AEA wins contract on Scotland’s algal biofuels programme

Contract

The public investment body Scottish Enterprise has announced that the international energy and environmental consultancy AEA has been awarded the foresighting and economic modelling work for the Energy Seaweed Anaerobic Digestion (SAD) programme.

The £3.7 million R&D programme aims to exploit the use of seaweed as a feedstock for biofuels, scaling-up the SAD process and optimising seaweed harvesting,  

AEA has expertise and experience in the field of Anaerobic Digestion and related renewable energy technologies. The Scottish Association for Marine Science, which has expertise in seaweed harvesting and cultivation, and the Hebridean Seaweed Company, which commercially harvests seaweed off the west coast of Scotland, are also involved in the project.

Colin McNaught, Knowledge Leader for Renewable Energy at AEA, said, “With increasing interest in renewable energy it is vital to understand the commercial and technical opportunities for all forms of energy.  Harnessing seaweed has the potential to provide heat and power, using a natural and Scottish resource.  

AEA is the latest of a number of commercial and academic R&D providers to be brought onto the SAD programme since its launch earlier this year, with others including Glasgow Caledonian, Newcastle and Abertay universities, B9 Organic Energy with the QUESTOR Centre, and Scottish-based Zebec Systems Ltd.

Craig Rose, Programme Manager at Scottish Enterprise, said, “The SAD programme is utilising both academic and commercial experience to deliver technically sound and commercially pragmatic outcomes, in realistic timescales, to benefit the Scottish economy.”

Adrian Gillespie, Senior Director of Energy and Low Carbon Technologies at Scottish Enterprise, said, “Investment in biofuels is growing massively all over the world and we estimate that the potential market for Scottish seaweed harvesting for use as a biofuel will start at around £4 million and grow significantly from there. Access to seaweed resources also provides potential for a cost-effective and sustainable source of renewable energy for Scotland’s coastal and island communities.”

The SAD programme is in three phases over four years. The first phase is focusing on the optimisation of SAD, with the second phase looking to create market opportunities to facilitate sustainable and low cost energy supplies for island communities. The final phase will focus on long-term market opportunities to intensify and automate the aquaculture industry.