Threats to biodiversity

This week’s heat wave has once again demonstrated that the climate crisis is the greatest challenge facing society today – switching to renewable energy production has never been more of a priority. Yet this has led to an emerging conflict between the need to rapidly expand green energy infrastructures and the preservation of biodiverse habitats.

Environmental activists are understandably concerned about the disruption to ecosystems, warning against ‘moving our climate problem onto our biodiversity crisis’.

The AD solution

At Ixora Energy, we seek to manage our anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities to offer a source of renewable energy while being conscious of our environmental impact. Here are three examples of how we are protecting the natural world.

1. Creating habitats

Our AD plants are situated on existing farms and we collaborate with farmers to support best practice land management. For example, working in partnership with Frogmary Green Farm Ltd at our Sustainable Energy Generation (SEG) plant, we have planted wildflower margins alongside our crops.

These wildflower margins provide a habitat for insects and wildlife, as well as helping to prevent phosphates from entering the nearby Somerset waterways.

Additionally, our Condate Biogas plant sponsors and works in partnership with South Molton in Bloom. This community initiative brings a delightful splash of colour to the North Devon town. South Molton in Bloom is also environmentally conscious, aiming to ‘maximise sustainable planting, plant trees and wildflowers, and preserve bees, birds, and wildlife.’

2. Producing natural fertiliser

Our farmers are encouraged to grow maize for the AD plants as a break crop. Not only is this a natural means of managing soil health, it offers a way for farmers to generate a reliable income.

Within the AD circular economy, farmers benefit from digestate, the by-product of AD processes that makes a great organic fertiliser. This can replace imported artificial fertilisers which have a high carbon footprint.

“One of the advantages of working with Ixora, particularly for arable farmers, is that we can use maize as a break crop. This still enables us to grow our primary commercial crops like wheat and rape…another huge benefit is that the digestate saves us having to use artificial fertilisers and using an organic material instead (digestate) which is a far better replacement and we are getting better crops because of this.”

Troy Stuart, Farmer supplying sustainable crops to Gorst Energy

3. Supporting sustainable innovation

At Ixora Energy, we are enthusiastic supporters of innovative technology. We encourage our sites to be used for research into identifying ways to reduce the UK’s carbon footprint. For example, we are partnering with Exeter University for a multi-million-pound research project into sustainable shrimp farming.

Traditional shrimp farming practices mostly take place in the Far East and cause deforestation and diminishing biodiversity. Instead, by harnessing the heat from AD processes, UK shrimp farming can be cost-effective, which reduces the need to import shrimp and the associated carbon footprint.

We believe that, with careful management, AD can play a part in helping the UK achieve ambitious Net Zero goals while protecting our precious biodiversity at the same time, making the world a better place for all forms of life.