Agenda item

To receive any questions relating to items on the Agenda from members of the public and replies thereto.

Note:   A maximum of 30 minutes is allowed for this item.

The following member of the public asked questions:

Paul Elstone            A Local Resident and Council Taxpayer . 

My questions relate to Agenda Item 10 Renewable Energy in Mid Devon.  

Question 1.

The briefing paper says there are 10 Anaerobic Digesters in Mid Devon.

What are their names and exact locations?

Question 2.

The paper also says these Anaerobic Digesters have an installed capacity of 5.3 megawatts.

What is the power generating capacity for each Anaerobic Digester? 

Question 3         

Is this the approved power generation output, or does it include spare capacity in the event of breakdown?

Question 4

How many solar farms are there in Mid Devon?

Question 5

Where are they exactly located?

Question 6

What acreage does each solar farm cover and what is their individual generating capacity? 

Question 7

How many solar farms have planning approval and are still to be constructed and commissioned?

Question 8

Where are they? 

Question 9

What is their power output?.

Question 10

Are Committee Members aware that:

Maize is the major feedstock for Anaerobic Digesters in Mid Devon

That annually an acre of solar panels can produce more electrical  energy than 17 acres of Maize.

That a British Soil Association Report says that 75% of the land where maize is grown is badly or severely degraded and causing excessive water run off resulting in  erosion ?

Question 11.

Are Committee Members aware that an Anaerobic Digester in Mid Devon.

Obtains feedstock and disposes of digestate from as far afield as Bow, Wellington, Wimple and Stoke Canon, a round trip distance of up to 46 miles.

Using weighbridge ticket information, it is believed the agricultural tractor mileage for this Anaerobic Digester can be estimated at 75,000 miles per annum or 3 times round the equator?

Question 12   

Are Committee Members aware that it is believed that these same tractors are emitting as much as 600,000 Kilograms of Carbon annually? This not including other pollutants.   

Hence the requirement for planning condition enforcement.

A general response to questions 1 to 9:

The source of data on renewable energy installations was government statistics published online by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero - this material is freely available and links are contained within the report but it does not provide locations and details of individual installations. The Council is not responsible for keeping details of all privately owned operations and their power agreements / arrangements, and might not keep records of local energy installations, except perhaps in relation to  larger scale installations where certain permissions are required. However, the Council does not hold all of this information as one data set and it is therefore not possible to address the questions raised.

Response provided by the Climate and Sustainability Specialist.

As questions 10 -12 were not submitted before the meeting, the Chairman indicated that a written response would be provided.

This is the written response to questions 10 – 12.

The Committee thanks the questioner for making this point.

Response provided by the Chief Executive.