Ardstraw based Greenville Energy Ltd. in partnership with South West College has been successful in securing substantial funding through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). KTP is Europe's leading programme helping businesses to improve their competitiveness by enabling companies to work with further or higher education organisations and a suitably qualified graduate to obtain knowledge, technology and skills which they consider to be of strategic competitive importance. This Innovate UK and Invest NI support will assist the growth of Greenville Energy through R&D investment in a novel biomethane production system.
Greenville Energy Ltd., a specialist in anaerobic digestion (AD) technology, was established in 2010 and, after years of research, began producing renewable energy in 2012. The company has since gone from strength to strength, providing technical consultancy and support to AD plants across the UK and Ireland. Through the KTP, the company have successfully appointed a new university graduate to undertake the two and half year project which aims to design, build and test a biogas upgrading system for small scale biogas operators. The graduate will work closely with South West College supervisor, Aaron Black, to transfer skills and knowledge into the business throughout the duration of the project.
The KTP will allow Greenville to develop new markets for the biogas produced from their AD plant, enabling expansion of the current plant as well as development of new equipment for supply to AD plants of similar size.
Greenville Energy manager, Dr William Moore said “Greenville Energy Ltd. have been at the forefront of anaerobic digestion technology and have led the development of the industry locally and across the UK. We wish to continue this by developing new uses for, and add value to, the biogas we produce. Our plant and many more of a similar size are currently limited to electricity supply to the gird. By upgrading our renewable gas we can explore new markets while improving the overall efficiency of our operation. We envisage the development of a high quality renewable natural gas distribution network nationwide for home, industrial or transport use as gas is now becoming an increasingly important part of the overall fuel mix. This will see extensive growth in Greenville Energy over the coming years.
“Without the assistance of South West College and the support of the KTP programme funding we could not have envisaged taking on such an ambitious research and design project. We can now look to the future and provide innovative green energy solutions using biogas.”
Aaron Black, Senior Research Lecturer at South West College added, “Work on this project with Greenville Energy will allow us to expand our expertise in the biogas industry. Renewable gas is the next step for these systems and it is exciting to be involved with a project in this field.”
“The KTP programme is ideal for providing research and development resources to SMEs without compromising their commitment to current business development and customer service. It allows them to spread the risk of innovation and ultimately become more competitive and increase profits.”
South West College engages with over 200 companies annually providing support for innovation, research and development through various funded programmes, including Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. This equips companies with new skills, enabling them to remain competitive in a global market, boost jobs and improve profits.
To find out more about the KTP programme or advancing your innovative ideas, contact Julie Anderson at julie.anderson@swc.ac.uk or at the InnoTech Centre on 028 8225 5223.