IT sits in glorious Grampian scenery, a picture postcard farm with sheep, cattle and red deer grazing its extensive pastures and with a patchwork of moorland, woodland and peatland.
But while it may seem to be one of many traditional uphill farms in the area, Glensaugh in Aberdeenshire is set to become Scotland’s first truly ‘green glen’ with a hydro hamlet powered entirely by self-generated renewable power.
The farm and its group of seven associated households is being used as a pilot scheme which aims to show how small rural hamlets can become self-reliant by generating their own electricity, heating and transport fuel requirements using water, sun and wind.
Dubbed HydroGlen, it’s hoped the hydro-powered farming community will become a model for others around the country, helping to balance the negative greenhouse gas emission linked to the agriculture sector.
If successful, on-farm green hydrogen systems like HydroGlen could cut on-farm emissions by at least 10% just by displacing diesel.
With around 8,450 farms in the North East of Scotland - employing 23,000 people directly – the move to becoming renewable energy self-sufficient opens up the potential for significant emission savings as well as a new business market with farms feeding excess power to the National Grid.
The pilot project is being developed by scientists at the James Hutton Institute and involves retrofitting the current rural farm and its associated buildings to use hydrogen as both an energy storage medium and source of power.
Under the plans, hydrogen would be produced using local water sources in an on-site electrolyser, with batteries used for short-term energy storage.
Farm vehicles which would normally rely on polluting diesel would be replaced by electric and hydrogen-fuelled versions, while solar panels, and wind turbines will also provide additional energy sources.
According to the Institute, which has received £6.2 million of Scottish Government funds to pursue the scheme, a feasibility study has already been carried out which appears to confirm the theory that such farms can be successful net-zero carbon energy producers and exporters through a combination of renewable electricity, on-site green hydrogen production, compression and storage.
The study also looked into safety, environment and planning considerations.
Agriculture is the second highest cause of greenhouse gases in Scotland after transport, and is responsible for 23.9% of all emissions.
The HydroGlen pilot is one of two pioneering projects established in the North East by scientists at the Institute which have been awarded a total of more than £13 million from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition fund.
The other, the Just Transition Hub, facility which will be based at the Institute’s campus in Aberdeen, will focus on providing sustainable solutions to Scotland’s future food, environmental and water security concerns.
It will involve a collaboration with a range of stakeholders to develop nature-based, net-zero solutions for issues such as community renewable energy development, flood management, sustainable groundwater access, biodiversity enhancement and peatland restoration.
A new building will combine virtual and physical space and act as an incubator for ‘spin out’ companies which will draw on the Institute’s science to develop new products and services.
It is expected to create over 200 jobs and bring in £1.6m annually to the regional economy.
HydroGlen is expected to seek planning permission for the transition to renewable energy imminently, with construction expected to commence in 2024.
Professor Alison Hester, Leader of the Institute’s Climate-Positive Farming Initiative at Glenaugh, said: “HydroGlen being selected for funding is a big step forward for green hydrogen innovation in Scotland and beyond.
“In our changing climate, where the frequency of storms such as Storm Arwen left some rural North East communities without power for many days; the successful development of HydroGlen as a key research and demonstration facility will offer much needed innovative and practical energy solutions for the region and beyond.”
Glensaugh farm is a £500 million ten-year initiative operated by the Institute which span a number of research areas connected to agriculture and the environment, including the reduction of plastic use in silage and haylage, maximising nutrient recovery from wastewater and exploring pasture grazing systems which may bring improved carbon capture and biodiversity benefits.
The Scottish Government’s £500 million Just Transition Fund is intended to provide a decade of support for North East and Moray projects which contribute to the region’s transition ot net zero. Other projects which have just received support from the fund include almost £5 million to support the transition from offshore jobs and £2 million to investigate whether current offshore facilities can be adapted for hydrogen production and storage.
Professor Colin Campbell, CEO of the James Hutton Institute said: “Given that around 45% of people in the North-East live in rural areas, the potential of HydroGlen to accelerate the decarbonisation of rural energy and transport is large.
“The Just Transition Hub will be an open and inclusive facility which will work with a range of partners on creating new products, new jobs and encourage investment. These are tremendous examples of our action-based science and will create real impact for our society.”
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