A new machine which converts grass verge cuttings into clean energy has been launched in Lincolnshire.
A new machine which converts grass verge cuttings into clean energy has been launched in Lincolnshire after a five-year project led by the Greater Lincolnshire LEP and its partners.
Since 2013, the LEP has been working with Lincolnshire Verge Harvesting on the development of a new machine which collects verge cuttings and uses them in anaerobic digestion to make clean energy.
The project began by testing the viability of using the verge cuttings in AD plants and then analysed how cuttings could be collected in a practical and economical way.
Several machines and systems were considered but none was capable of completing the work as required. The project team made the decision to create a bespoke machine capable of the speed and collection volume required to make verge harvesting economically viable.
The team invited local manufactures to tender for the project. After serious consideration, Scotts Precision Manufacturing, an agricultural engineering company in Eastville near Boston, secured the tender.
The unique machine designed and made by Scotts is now in operation during a trial of three AD plants owned by Lincolnshire Verge Harvesting. The new verge harvester has now completed the work of the current contractor within the trial areas.
The trailblazing project has attracted a significant amount of interest from local authorities, national bodies and media outlets including the National Trust and the BBC.
The new machine and the verge cutting scheme were officially launched this week.
