ENBIO is highly innovative and (to our knowledge) currently unique in the world. The project uses algal bioproduction coupled with renewable energy – when and where its produced – to create new industry in rural areas and simultaneously increase the strength of the rural circular economy by enabling better use of stranded timber and distillery co-products. The integrated energy and biomanufacturing approach enables best use of locally available resources to maximise the benefits.  

ENBIO builds on the existing LECF-funded ASLEE project which developed a novel, class-leading internally lit photobioreactor (Pandora PBR™) whose lighting can be externally controlled to meet grid demands, allowing the PBRs to be used as a rapidly-acting balancer of local renewable energy production. The ASLEE project also demonstrated that the algae are very tolerant to light intermittency, making their production an ideal transactive load.

The ENBIO project will see sixteen 1000 litres Pandora PBR™ deployed on the Ardnamurchan Estate using surplus energy from the combined heat and power (CHP) plant to produce high value algae, automatically matching local electricity demand with production. The Ardnamurchan PBR array will give Scotland a lead in industrial scale algal biotechnology in the UK.

In addition, the ENBIO project will contribute to the low carbon economy through helping reduce transport costs, displace algal imports that are currently air shipped to Scotland, achieve better use of distillery co-products and directly incorporate CO2 into the algae. Within the project, Scene Consultants are developing a business model spreadsheet tool that can be used to determine the feasibility of the local integrated systems approach in different scenarios.

The partners within the project are Xanthella Ltd, ALIenergy,  Woodland Renewables (Ardnamurchan Estate) and Scene Consultancy.

For further information contact Carole Shellcock: 07718 426085 or carole@alienergy.org.uk

ENBIO is supported as part of Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, funded by the Scottish Government and European Regional Development Fund.